


Boys Will Be Boys

by puddleofgoo



Series: A Life Less Ordinary [6]
Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Angst, BDSM, Drama, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Sex, Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-08-21
Updated: 2007-08-21
Packaged: 2018-01-12 21:42:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 237,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1201663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/puddleofgoo/pseuds/puddleofgoo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the Siege of Atlantis, the senior staff is sent home for some high-level briefings and much needed vacations where Sheppard and McKay get to finally relax away from prying eyes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story is sixth in the "A Life Less Ordinary" series and is set immediately following the events in SGA 1x19 "The Seige 1", SGA 1x20 "The Seige 2", and SGA 2x01 "The Seige 3".

Major John Sheppard swallowed hard. He had been in briefings for the better part of eighteen hours since returning to Stargate Command—the SGC—tucked away under NORAD in the Cheyenne Mountain complex.

It had been a long few weeks, and this wasn’t exactly the reception he had been hoping for.

Rodney McKay, genius and his lover, had managed to put together a new compression algorithm to send through all the data they had on the Wraith, personal messages, and things like mission reports and updates on everything Atlantis had done in the year they had been out of contact. In return, they had gotten Colonel Everett—who had demoted John from his position as ranking military leader and nearly gotten them all killed—and the Daedalus, which had managed to save John at the last minute from his suicide last-ditch effort to save the city.

It hadn’t been the bomb that had almost killed him. It had been not being able to kiss Rodney in the middle of the chair room, tell him he was sorry and that he loved him. Instead he had been forced to go with “So long Rodney,” trying to put everything into those words.

When he had come back, he had managed to sneak in a few minutes to pull his lover aside and kiss him breathless, apologize, tell him it was the best he could do in the middle of all those people. It had taken a blowjob and fucking him senseless that night to earn forgiveness. Granted, the fact that Rodney had been exhausted, coming down off the uppers, and grateful John wasn’t dead had helped.

While that had almost seemed too easy, John hadn't been able to dwell on it because the next thing he knew, the Atlantis senior staff was whisked back to Earth, the ZPM allowing them to make a single step into the wormhole to emerge an entire galaxy away.

In the SGC, they were immediately attacked by words and paper and red tape. They were here for debriefs. But in John’s case, he had to justify every damn decision he had made in the last year, starting with the mercy killing of Colonel Sumner, all the way through to the Wraith attack and his decision to fly the jumper with the nuclear bomb.

When Generals O’Neill and Landry, along with several other high-ranking military men, finally dismissed him, John found himself walking through the halls in a daze, not sure what to think. If he was reading things right, no one really wanted him to return to Atlantis, much less as its commander. He was going to lose everything.

He was lost, but a familiar voice raised in irritation, drew him forward. He rounded a corner and found Rodney arguing with a Lieutenant Colonel with short blond hair. He vaguely remembered this was the infamous Sam Carter. She'd been in the welcoming committee in the gateroom when they'd stepped through.

He leaned against a wall and hoped he managed some semblance of casual. “McKay. And you must be the Colonel Carter we’ve all heard so much about.”

Rodney turned around, his eyes looking him up and down before he responded. "You look like hell."

John forced himself to grin, although it was a stretch. John knew he looked horrible, and McKay was coming in a close second. "Thanks. You don't look so bad yourself."

The blonde stepped forward, rolling her eyes at Rodney and offering her hand to John. "Major, it's a pleasure to meet you. Call me Sam. And while I hate to admit that McKay might be right, you look like you could use some rest. Did you get a chance to find the guest quarters we've set aside for you?"

He shook her hand, inclining his head. "I was trying to find them earlier, but I got a little lost. Heard a familiar voice and thought I'd come see if McKay had made it to bed yet."

"Apparently I haven't since you found me standing in the labs," Rodney replied, rolling his eyes. "I'm trying to get Colonel Carter to understand some of the basic principles—"

"Rodney." This time the grin was real when both he and Carter sing-songed together. "You can harass poor Col—, ah, Sam, later. You've been here before, so you can show me where I can crash for a few hours."

"Fine," McKay replied briskly, striding a few steps past John before turning around, looking at him, an exasperated expression on his face. "Are you coming?"

John pulled himself into some semblance of Attention and saluted Carter. "Ma'am. I'm sure I'll be seeing you again."

"At ease, Major. You've managed to survive another galaxy, the Wraith, and McKay for a year. Have a good night."

"Thanks. You too." He turned and followed McKay through the halls, completely lost again after a few turns. "You sure you know where we're going?"

"Of course I know where I'm going. I did actually work here before they kicked me to Siberia," he huffed, running his cards in the card reader next to the elevator, stepping inside when it arrived. He jabbed his finger against one of the floor buttons before turning back to John. The scientist was strangely on edge, but with all the cameras in the SGC, they couldn't do anything—he couldn't do anything to fix him.

"Glad one of us does." When they got to the guest rooms, John fought back an edge of desperation. "Want to come in for quick drink?"

Rodney glanced up, his eyes drifting over the camera in the corner where the ceiling meets the walls, its eye always alert, always watching. "Ah…sure. A quick one," he finally nodded, entering when John gestured him to, the solider following Rodney inside and closing the door.

John dropped any attempt at pretense as soon as the door was closed, wrapping himself around Rodney and burying his head in the crook of his shoulder.

McKay sighed and held him tightly, his body molding to John's even as his muscles remained tense. "God. We dreamed about coming to Earth for a year and now we've haven't even been here a day and I can't wait to go back to Atlantis."

John pressed his face even more tightly Rodney's shoulder, breathing deeply.

Rodney managed to back him toward the bed, disengaging long enough to maneuver John onto it. Sheppard tugged and rolled so McKay was under him, holding him close.

"I'm here, John."

"God, Rodney. I don't know if I'm going back."

"Don't worry about that now. Just rest."

"No, you don't understand. They're going to replace me. God, every command decision I've made... Even if I do get to go back, it won't be as Military Commander. Oh God, Rodney, what if—"

"It's very simple. If you go to Atlantis, I go. If you stay on Earth, I stay here. Besides, Elizabeth won't let you go without a fight."

John sat up, eyes going wide. He knew he was babbling, but he was exhausted and so afraid of losing everything. "You... You would give up Atlantis for me? Even if... What if I'm just reassigned? I mean, I could resign my commission, but—"

"John," Rodney said, pressing his finger to John's to stop him from talking. "Wherever you go."

This time he couldn't stop the shaking as he pressed himself down on Rodney, trying to get as close as he could. He could feel the medals and ribbons of his formal uniform pushing into both their skin, but he didn't care. "Love you..."

"Love you," Rodney replied immediately, holding John tightly. "I wish we could do more, but we can't, not here."

John swallowed again, and nodded into Rodney's skin. "I know. I'm due for more briefings tomorrow, and then I have to...have to go... talk to the families. Of the men I..." He took a few deep breaths, the familiar smell of Rodney's skin calming him. "After that, can we go somewhere? For a few days? Just us, where we can be John and Rodney, and not Major Sheppard and Doctor McKay?"

The answer was immediate. "Whatever you want, John."

"Will three days be enough for you to take care of everything here? It shouldn't take me more than two to deal with...telling them."

"I have briefings…" Rodney sighed. "So much to go through. So much they're asking, demanding to know. I’m the expert in Ancient technology now and they expect me to teach them everything I've learned in a year over the course of a few days."

"How long do you need before you can leave? We'll have to be back here at least a few days before the scheduled departure. To, to find out if I'm..."

"John, it's going to take the Daedalus three weeks to get back here and another week to restock. Time, we have." Rodney paused again. "A week. I'll probably need a week, but I fully intend on spending a good portion of my nights in my apartment."

He sat up, surprised. "You have an apartment?"

"As long as the SGC continued to make payments for the rent, yes," Rodney said, looking up at him. "We can take a week off, maybe even more. Go somewhere. Do something. But I know I have files I'll have to go through. Lots of files. We need to replace the scientists we've lost."

"I know." Reluctantly John rolled off him, already feeling cold where they had been pressed together. Rodney put off a lot of heat. "You can take your laptop with you. Mind if I crash at your place when I get back, until we leave?"

Rodney looked at him with barely contained amusement and annoyance.

"What?"

"Since when did that become a question you needed to ask?"

Grinning sheepishly, John stood, tugging off his uniform and carefully folding it over a chair so it wouldn't get any more wrinkled. "Sorry. I think I'm still in shock."

"I can't believe I'm really here," Rodney said after a moment, watching as John sat on the bed in his boxers and t-shirt. "I wished like crazy to somehow be able to come back to Earth, but now that I'm here…"

"Yeah. It's surreal." John leaned down for a kiss and then pushed at Rodney's shoulder. "As much as I really want you to stay, I don't think its a good idea when there are two Generals and about five senior officers in residence, most of whom would like any excuse to toss me out my ass."

"I know. I'm staying down the hall. I don't have the energy to leave."

"If you don't, I'm not going to be able to let you, and I thought we agreed I'm not allowed to run suicide missions anymore."

Rodney rolled his eyes. "I don't have the energy to leave the base or explain to you what I meant." He sat up and swung his legs off the bed, standing up a moment later. "Breakfast in the morning?"

"Yes. Come get me. I'd say I'll meet you there, but I'm not sure where we are or where the mess would be..."

"Oh, yes," Rodney said as he walked to the door. "Another prime example of the piloting skills of one John 'I get lost on the ground' Sheppard."

"Hey, put me in the air, and I'll know exactly where I am."

Rodney shook his head, an amused smile on his face. "Night, John. Try to get some sleep."

"You, too." Grinning, John made a kissy face.

"Mature, Sheppard. Very mature."

"Glad you appreciated it."

McKay paused, his hand on the door handle. "Tomorrow I'll show you my apartment."

"Thank you." John had stopped trying to hide his emotions from Rodney weeks ago, so he knew the other man could see his gratitude. And, he hoped, his love. "Goodnight."

"Night," Rodney said with a nod, heading out into the hallway, closing the door quietly behind him.

John laid back on the bed, and tried hard not to think about how badly everything could go in the next few weeks. And he'd thought the Wraith were bad.

***

It was official. Rodney McKay hated being a genius.

Okay, maybe that was an exaggeration, but right now, after hours and hours of going over reports and more reports he was exhausted.

"Did you even read over anything that was in the data burst we sent? Because from where I'm standing it's plainly obvious that you didn't even bother to skim the table-of-contents," Rodney exclaimed as he rose from his seat in the briefing room, scowling at Carter and Lee and all of the other scientists clustered around the table.

Sam rolled her eyes. "Nice to see vacationing in another galaxy didn't do anything to soften your winning personality, McKay."

He turned toward her, taking a few steps forward before stopping. "Is that what you think we were doing, vacationing? Sitting on the balconies sipping fruit drinks with paper umbrellas and enjoying the sunset?"

She shook her head. "We know how hard you guys worked, McKay. So stop being an ass and help us understand some of this stuff. The sooner we get up to speed, the sooner you don't have to be here holding our hands."

"Maybe I'd be more convinced of it if you actually attempted to _read the reports_ ," he said turning on his heel once again, but not before he noticed the cowering expressions on a few of the scientists. "I know," he continued a beat later, "how about you take an hour and catch up on a year's worth of mission reports while I go and get some lunch? That sounds like a much more productive way to spend my time."

Carter looked around, and he caught the edge of a grin. "I'll walk down with you. Mind if we pick up Daniel along the way? He forgets to eat if one of us doesn't go get him."

"I don't care," Rodney replied, rolling his eyes.

She swept her arm toward the door. "After you, McKay."

He spoke up again once they were at the elevator, letting Carter do all the card swiping and button pushing. "How do you work with them? Gah, they're worse than my staff. And I'm disappointed in you, Sam. I figured you'd be up-to-date on the reports."

"I've been through all of the reports you've sent through already, but I plan to go through them all before you leave again. I want to sit down with you to go over anything I need clarified. Right now, I'd like you to help to get the rest of the SGC science staff up to speed on the technologies you guys discovered there."

"Well, that's going to impossible," Rodney said, shaking his head.

"I thought you were the king of pulling off the impossible." She stepped out on a floor Rodney knew was reserved for the soft sciences, and where Jackson had his own research lab.

Walking beside her, Rodney wanted to puff out his chest and brag, but he was just so tired. They'd lost so much, so many. Some days he woke up with John curled around him and still swore that he was living a dream. "Well, there is that," is what he finally said, but without some of the heat and arrogance he normally displayed.

She looked over at him with an odd expression. "Don't take this the wrong way, since I mean it as a compliment, but you've changed."

"Pegasus will do that to you," he said quietly.

She nodded. "Combat will do that to you." They paused outside of an open door, where Rodney could see a cluttered room. "Hey, Daniel. Lunch time."

"Huh. What?" Daniel asked, peering at them through his glasses, confusion on his face. Rodney stepped into his office, looking over the items he was working on.

"That's Ancient."

Sam looked at the devices as well. "We found those on P4X-229 last week."

"So what's Daniel doing with them?"

"Studying them?" She raised an eyebrow and looked over at Jackson.

Rodney shook his head, picking up one of the small devices. "It is so obvious that no one is paying attention around here. This should be in the armory."

Sam got an intense look on her face. "You know what they do? You've seen things like these before? We haven't been able to activate anything we found."

McKay sighed again, thinking on at the device in his hand, watching as it lit up. "This is an Ancient version of a grenade. It's in stand-by mode right now—see all the lights are on. Once it starts doing this…" Rodney thought again and the lights started blinking, "…it's armed."

The eyes of both members of SG1 had gone wide. "McKay..." Sam was staring at the blinking device. She was probably wondering how many bulkheads she'd have to get slammed shut in order to contain the blast. He knew the look.

"Oh for god's sake. Do you actually think I'd be holding something that was going to blow up in my hand?" Rodney sighed, thinking off as the lights on the device darkened. "I have a very high level of self preservation."

Daniel had gotten an intense expression. "What about the rest? What do these do?" He pushed a slew of devices towards Rodney. "Can you turn them all on? Are they all weapons?"

Closing his eyes with a sigh, Rodney prayed for patience. He opened them a moment later and started pointing. "Data device—and it looks broken. Detonator for a larger weapon. Handheld LSD. Sex toy. Another grenade. Some kind of recharger—or that's what it looks like—and another data device." Rodney looked up, his eyes widening as he saw the surprise on Daniel and Sam's faces. "What?"

"You... sex toy? How the hell do you know that?" The corners of Sam's lips were twitching.

"We're living in an Ancient city that they didn't bother to clean out when they left, Carter. Living quarters in addition to lab space. Do you get the picture?" Rodney didn't think he blushed, but he just planned on charging forward instead of trying to dwell on it.

Daniel had gone a little red, but he was eyeing the little device. Sam looked like she was working hard not hold back a laugh. "So... LSD? I'm assuming that's not a drug."

Rodney snatched up the cock ring before Daniel could get his hands on it. "You snooze, you lose," he said, pocketing it with a smug look on his face. "Life signs detector," he answered, picking up the small device and thinking 'on', the screen lighting up. He turned it toward them. "It only works for those with the gene, but is just like a Star Trek tricorder. It can give you life signs readings and if you play with it a bit, you can get it to bring up energy sources and other readings. Kind of useful in the field."

They had both looked amused at his pocketing of the toy, but, like he knew it would, the LSD distracted them. Daniel reached out, but didn't take it. His voice was wistful. "Can any of this be used by someone without the gene?"

"Maybe the data device, if you can hook it up to another computer. Do you have…" he started to ask, but spotted a tablet PC across the room along with some cables. Striding over, he picked it up, looking at the connections. "I take it this is yours, Carter?"

She was right there next to him, Daniel on his other side. "Actually, it's mine. My office, remember?" Jackson grinned. "Can you really get the information downloaded off that thing?"

"Why do you have cables…never mind," Rodney said, shaking his head as he connected one end of the cable to the PC in his hands. Putting it down on the table, he picked up the data device—the one that didn't outwardly look broken—and found the appropriate connection port. "Huh. Okay," he said, already tapping on the tablet's touch-screen, bring up the DOS menu where he could type in the commands he wanted. Pausing, he waited for the computer to run what he'd entered. "God, what do you have on this thing? It's running slower than a Commodore 64."

"Not all of us got super-fast computers to go visit other galaxies." Daniel sounded wistful again. "While we're waiting, what's Atlantis like?"

"It's the size of Manhattan…maybe bigger. We've only explored a very small part of it," Rodney said with a shrug, the screen blanking out before an interface popped up. "There we go." He started typing again, his fingers flying over the virtual keyboard until he had Ancient scrolling across the view window on the side. "Huh," he said, scowling as he read some of it. "I think it's a cookbook."

"You can read Ancient?" Carter sounded startled.

He turned to her, exasperation on his face. "I've spent a year living in an Ancient city with far too little patience for the translation programs to catch up. Of course I've learned to read Ancient. Elizabeth's better at it, though."

Sam chuckled. "I'll keep that in mind. In the meantime, we were going to get lunch. Come on, Daniel, you can play with the new toys later."

Rodney nodded, feeling the weight of the cock ring in his pocket, as he followed Carter out the door while Daniel dragged himself from his desk. "You do have the Ancient to English translation program, right?"

Daniel laughed. "I wrote the Ancient to English translation program."

McKay glanced at him. "Actually, no, you didn't. At least not the one I use. Well, that's not entirely correct either. I used your program to start with, but it was way too slow and got stuff ass backwards sometimes. So, I re-wrote it. I probably have a copy on my laptop. I'll put it on a server for you."

Sam laughed at Daniel's grimace. "McKay, as much as you've changed, it's nice to know the arrogant SOB is still in there somewhere."

"What?" Rodney asked, glancing between the two of them. "What do you want from me? When you're at war with a race of beings that can suck the life from you with their hand, you can't be waiting on a slow program that might be wrong. That's all I'm saying."

Carter shook her head, and Jackson laughed as they stepped out of the elevator and into the mess. "Hey, isn't that Major Sheppard in the corner? He must be on a break between briefings. From what I hear, every officer in a fifty-mile radius wants to talk to him about Atlantis operations."

Rodney looked to where Carter had pointed and sure enough, John was sitting in the corner looking miserable. "Hey, mind if I join him? He's supposed to be bunking with me since I actually still have an apartment and I need to work out some details."

"He's voluntarily spending time with you outside of what's required? Brave man." Sam grinned. "Need to talk to him alone, or can we join you? I haven't had much of a chance to talk with him yet, and I have a few questions of my own."

"You can probably join us for lunch, but I'll have you know that I have a two-bedroom apartment and it was his choice to stay there. I just offered because an apartment is better than living underground," Rodney protested with a frown as he grabbed a tray, his eyes drifting back to John. He was very happy not to be confined on base for the entire length of their stay. He had things to do, things to buy, and some paperwork to get in order. Thankfully, his lawyer knew what side his bread was buttered on and had gotten right to work on the documents Rodney had requested that morning.

Daniel raised an eyebrow. "Sam, we can catch up with the Major later. If Sheppard is anything like Jack, he's probably going stir crazy under all this rock."

"And what the hell are they serving? It's like death central," Rodney said as soon as he caught sight of the lunch choices.

"It's lemon chicken." Carter raised an eyebrow, then understanding lit her eyes. "You should be safe with the beef. No citrus."

"Just great," Rodney said shaking his head, giving the guy on KP duty hell because he could before finally pointing at the beef, getting a sloppy spoonful before moving on. After retrieving a mug of coffee—horrible and burnt, but coffee!—water, salad, pudding—for John—and chocolate cake, he headed toward the back of the room, John watching him weave through the tables.

"Hey."

"I think Daniel and Carter might be following behind. They mentioned something about it," he said sliding into a chair. With a quick glance over his shoulder Rodney reached into his pocket and palmed the Ancient cock ring, handing it over to John with a raised eyebrow. "Found this."

John looked over his shoulder, and a quick nod let Rodney know the other two were following, but slower. Then he looked down at what he had been given and nearly choked. "Where did you get this?"

"Daniel had it among a pile of other Ancient crap. You might want to hang onto it." Rodney offered a shy smile, before turning to his food, poking at some of it, wondering if it was actually dead.

The ring disappeared somewhere in his pockets. "We owe Beckett a few favors. Think he'd like a present?"

"Later," Rodney said with a nod. "We might have to…test it out first. Don't want to give him something defective. And the SGC aren't all idiots," he continued, changing the subject to a much safer topic. "They did set up a payment schedule so I still have my apartment. A cleaning crew was going in this morning to straighten up, dust, and re-stock. I gave them a list."

John looked up and smiled at Carter and Jackson, who were sitting down. "Ma'am. Doctor. And thanks, McKay. If I have to spend another night underground, I might go crazy."

"Not a problem. As long as the people they send actually know how to clean, we should be fine. I told them to get new sheets, too. I didn't remember where I'd left the ones for the spare room," Rodney said, taking a bite of his lunch and scowling at the taste.

He saw John give his tray a once-over, and the little cup of pudding he'd grabbed was taken off his tray. "That had a tangy taste to it. I don't know if it's citrus, but here," a brownie was put in its place, "that should be safe."

"Carter claimed it should be safe," Rodney said, pulling the salad closer and digging into that instead.

John glanced over at their companions, who were watching with amusement, and flushed slightly. "I've gotten into the habit of checking. We get served some weird stuff off-world, and you'd be surprised at what turns out to be dangerous."

"And I'd rather not have a reaction since I have no intention of staying underground any longer than necessary," Rodney said, grumbling around a mouthful of salad.

John stiffened suddenly, and when Rodney looked over his shoulder, he saw two high-ranking officers he had never met getting trays and sitting down near the door.

"Friends of yours?"

"Not exactly. They're leading the movement to have me removed from Atlantis completely. I'd be re-assigned to the Antarctic base as a light-switch."

"Didn't we talk about this already?" Rodney asked, disdain in his voice, his eyes sliding to Carter and Daniel for a moment, both watching their food very intently. "Elizabeth will make sure that doesn't happen."

John sighed, his own gaze flicking over. "Elizabeth isn't military, so it might not be her decision. If my orders change, I won't have many options. How are the science briefings going?"

Rodney glanced over his shoulder again, making sure he remembered the faces. "I might have to introduce myself later and they're all morons," he said, earning a squawk from Carter.

"I'm smarter than you are, McKay, watch yourself."

"Then explain to me why you had Daniel poking at an Ancient grenade," he shot back, pinning her with a look.

She held up a hand, counting off fingers. "First of all, we didn't know it was a grenade. Second, no one had been able to activate it, third, you said yourself that no one without the gene would be able to use it. Fourth—"

Rodney turned to John, ignoring her for the moment. "Do you know that some of the science staff haven't even bothered to look at any of the files we sent in the data burst? I'm supposed to be teaching and explaining things to them and they don't even know the basics. It's like trying to teach someone to read without them knowing the alphabet."

John grinned. "How many Ancient thingies have you guys found? If you need someone to take a look at them, let me know. I've played guinea pig for the science staff enough times that I've gotten pretty good at figuring out what's dangerous and what's not. Plus, despite what McKay might have told you, a lot of their stuff just needs the gene for initialization, after that anyone can use it."

"Not everything. They have an LSD."

"Really?" John perked up. "Those are great!"

"For those who have the gene, yes," Daniel said wistfully, his fork poking at his food.

John laughed quietly. "I forget not everyone has that luxury. I've gotten used to things lighting up at a thought. The scientists have rigged the sensors to work throughout the city for people without the gene."

"Yes, well, it's not like we could spend all day turning things on and off," Rodney said, rolling his eyes, giving up on his salad and heading for the piece of chocolate cake he'd grabbed. He'd save the brownie for later.

"Hey, until you got the therapy, I was spending more time in the labs turning things on for you and Zelenka than actually doing my own work." Sheppard winked at Carter and Jackson, his charm kicking in.

"Thanks for the reminder, Sheppard. At least I've saved you from that whole horrible experience," Rodney commented, swallowing a bite of the cake.

"I never said it was horrible. Now I don't have any excuse to avoid the paperwork."

"You find excuses," Rodney muttered, turning to Carter. "You had questions for Sheppard?"

He sensed John stiffen up again, although the outwardly relaxed pose didn't change. "What can I do for you, Colonel?"

"It's nothing that can't wait," she said, shooting an annoyed look at Rodney. "But I guess I just want to know what Atlantis is like."

John was silent for a moment, and Rodney found himself curious as well. He knew John related to the city on a completely different level from anyone else. "It's hard to describe. She's...not alive exactly, but...it's like a pressure, in the back of my head. I get the sense that most of her systems are still in stasis, that she's waiting for us to figure out how to give her more power so she can return to her former glory."

"It's alive?" Daniel's voice held a note of awe.

"Not really, not in the sense that we're alive. But she's not completely inert either. It's actually a bit...disconcerting...not to feel her here. I keep reaching out, but there's nothing there."

"Is there any—" Daniel began, only to be cut off by Carter.

"You actually interface with the city?" She turned to Rodney. "I did skim the reports, and I don't remember any mention of that."

"I’m sure it's in there."

"And it's not a true interface. I'm not a console. I can just, well, feel her. Always there. If I want something specific, I can usually figure out how to make it happen, but I can't have a vague idea and expect to get any results."

"That’s…amazing," Daniel said, and Rodney could see the gears and cogs turning in the man's mind.

"Sheppard, we should probably talk about tonight," Rodney said, frowning at his choice of words.

John nodded. "Thanks for letting me stay with you. I don't have a place here, and I wasn't kidding that I need to get out of this mountain. I have to be back downstairs for briefings in another," he looked at his watch, "fifteen minutes. I should be done by 1800 at the latest. I'd say I'll come find you, but I still can't find my way to the restroom without getting lost."

"Ask an airman to find me. I have no idea where I'll be," Rodney replied, glancing at Carter. "It depends on what they have planned for me."

John's eyes flicked up, and Rodney could tell he was focused across the room. "I'll catch you later. Doctor Jackson, Colonel Carter, if you have any more questions for me, feel free to come find me. I'm sure my time will be at your disposal." He rose and swiftly walked out, behind the two officers from earlier.

Rodney watched him go before turning back to Carter. "Okay, who are those two men?"

She was watching the door where they had disappeared, a faint frown on her face. "The first is Marine Brigadier General Joseph Strommon. The second is Brigadier General Frank Loscon. From what I've heard, neither one is happy with an Air Force officer heading Atlantis, and even less happy that it's Sheppard in particular."

"What's the issue? He's doing a good job."

She looked at him carefully for a moment, her finger taping on the side of her mug. "You know he has a record of insubordination—"

"Is it his fault that his superiors are stupid?" Rodney shook his head. "I've read his file, Carter, and I don’t buy it. I know John Sheppard."

She nodded. "I've read his file too, and I've also read the reports you guys sent through. I can read between the lines in both cases. For what it's worth, General Jack likes him, and General Landry...doesn't have a particular problem with him. It's the Marines who are putting up the biggest stink, and making his previous record an issue. It doesn't help that apparently he went against Doctor Weir a few times on Atlantis. One time, in particular, I guess he went against direct orders, and since it wasn't a military situation... They're using that to try and convince the others that Sheppard isn't fit to command."

"Idiots. All of them." Rodney shoved back his chair and stood. "We'll see what they say. If they kick him out of Atlantis, they might be surprised what happens."

Sam stood as well, with Daniel sitting back to watch them. She put a hand on his arm. "Don't do anything rash, McKay. Right now, Sheppard has to fight his own battles. I know you guys are teammates and friends, but you won't do him any favors if you barge in. The guys he's fighting against will use it against him if you do."

"Well see," he said quietly.

"Just wait and see what happens. No decisions have been made yet. Come back down to the labs and you can show me those power calculations again. The first time through I had a few ideas of how we could use them to refine the naquadah generators."

"We left the idiots in the briefing room doing homework," Rodney said, shaking his head. "I need to finish up with them first."

She grinned. "I'll see if I can help you."

"Doubtful," McKay said, already on the move.

She gave a wave to Jackson and followed him. "We'll see about that, McKay."

They ended up staying the rest of the day in the conference room, going through point after point until he was sure the scientists understood it—and didn't blow up anything—with Carter helping more often than hindering.

A knock on the door broke his concentration and disrupted a perfectly good rant at a young scientist. Carter moved to answer it, like she had all afternoon, as Rodney continued to explain some of the finer points of Ancient technology.

"McKay, looks like it's time for you to call it quits for the day." When he looked up at her words, he saw John sliding in. It wasn't immediately obvious, but to anyone who knew him, the solider was practically vibrating with tension.

"What? Oh, you're done? Good." He turned back to the scientists in the room. "I guess this means we'll pick up here tomorrow and I expect you all to actually read the reports before you get in," Rodney said, closing the lid of his laptop before he picked it up and shoved it under his arm.

John didn't say anything as he followed Rodney out, up the elevator. They picked up the keys to the car the SGC was loaning John while they were there. The soldier still hadn't said anything when they got out to the cars. Rodney's was still in the lot from a year ago ‑ he hoped the battery still worked.

"You sure you're up for driving?" Rodney finally asked, standing next to the car John had been assigned.

"I need to get somewhere private as soon as possible. Please. Can we do this in your apartment?" John gave him a desperate look, then shut his eyes for a second.

"I'm trying to make sure that you won't crash on the way down the Mountain," Rodney hissed. "That would certainly defeat the purpose of whatever you want to do tonight."

"I'll be fine. I'll stay behind you. Rodney... I need to get somewhere where there aren't a hundred pairs of eyes watching me and waiting for me to fuck up. Please, can we leave now?"

McKay nodded quickly, moving to the other lot and his car. Once Rodney was sure Sheppard was ready, he pulled out, checking out at the gate before heading down the curvy mountain road.

It was strange to drive again after so long, but it was also liberating. After everything they'd been through, the simple pleasure of driving himself somewhere was amazing.

The drive home only took thirty minutes—even with a little traffic—and he pulled into his apartment complex, parking in his assigned spot. He pointed John to one of the visitor spots and was unlocking the door to his apartment by the time John stepped beside him.

"I'm hoping they actually cleaned in here, otherwise it's going to be a matter of entering at your own risk," Rodney said, offering a nervous smile as the door swung open, the outside light showing him a clean and dust-free entrance. That was promising.

John pushed him a little, kicked the door closed, and had him up against a wall with his tongue down Rodney's throat before he could say anything else. When he finally let them come up for air, he pushed his head into the crook of Rodney's neck, the same position he'd taken last night.

"That bad?"

John's hands were fisted in his shirt. "Yeah. That bad."

"I need to eat sometime tonight, but I'm here for you," Rodney said quietly, evenly.

"Can we order something? I really don't think I can handle going back out. They already have my fucking replacement picked out. I spent the day justifying every decision I've ever..." John let him go and paced across the room, his body radiating tension. "What if they're right, Rodney? What if I'm not fit for command? What if—"

"They're not right," Rodney said firmly, grabbing John's arm as he paced past him. "If you start to think otherwise you're going to let them win. Now, let me look and see what they stocked the fridge with. If they followed my directions we might not have to order anything. It would be no one but us. Okay?"

John tensed under his hand, but finally nodded. He stepped closer and this time the kiss didn't have the edge of desperation to it.

Rodney kissed John back, loving his taste, the feel of his lover under his hands as he held him close, He moaned and opened his mouth a little wider, letting John take control, knowing he needed whatever Rodney could give him.

John pushed him back against the wall again, one knee working in between his legs to rub against his growing erection. Hands were working their way under his jacket, pushing it off, followed by his shirt. John splayed his hands across Rodney's now-naked chest, running fingers through the hair there as they kissed.

Running his hands under John's shirt, Rodney stroked and rubbed John's back, feeling the tension in the muscles. When Sheppard's hands found his nipples and began to attack them—tweaking, rubbing, and squeezing—Rodney gasped and groaned into John's mouth.

John moved away from his mouth and down his neck. When he got to skin below the collar line, he sucked it in, renewing the mark he always made sure Rodney had in that spot. John marked him on other places on his body as whim took him, but that one spot was never left unbruised.

"Oh, god…John," Rodney breathed out, more a moan than actual words, his head leaning back to thump against the wall.

Humming, John's hands fell to his belt, deftly unbuckling it, and then the pants underneath. He shoved them and the boxers Rodney was wearing down, dropping to his knees and swallowing Rodney's dick, licking and sucking it as his head bobbed up and down. He pulled off long enough to get his finger wet with spit, then reached around to push it inside Rodney's ass as he went back to blowing him.

His knees nearly buckled, but Rodney managed to keep himself upright, his hands flat against the wall as he tried to hold himself upright. John's mouth, though, was doing horrible, terrible things to his cock, which made it increasingly difficult.

Sheppard started to hum, and the finger pressing in and out of Rodney's ass went a little deeper each time. John was using every dirty trick he knew to make Rodney come as quickly as possible.

"John..gonna…" Rodney groaned, trying to warn his lover as he felt his balls draw up closer to his body. His cock pulsed a moment later and he poured his come down John's throat, his lover sucking and licking greedily until Rodney was soft and sated.

His lover pulled off with a pop, humming softly to himself. He untied Rodney's shoes while he was down there, and pulled the rest of the clothing free before standing up and pressing a come-flavored kiss to Rodney's lips. "Why don't we go see what your cleaning staff left for dinner?"

"Naked? You want me to do this naked?"

"I like you naked." John pulled back and started wandering around, seemingly much more relaxed. "This is a really nice place."

Rodney leaned against the wall, feeling awkward and exposed. He'd never walked around his apartment naked before. People could…look in. At least on Atlantis there wasn't much chance for that to happen. "Um…thanks."

"Gonna give me the tour?" John grinned at him.

"John…"

"Yes?"

"Clothes…might be a good thing."

"Why? I like you naked."

"We're not on Atlantis."

The grin he got for that was more than just a little naughty. "You know, I think you're right. You can spend the entire night naked, and we don't have to worry about anyone calling in an emergency, or having to get dressed to leave the room. I think we should have dinner, then maybe watch a movie on a real TV on a real couch."

Rodney closed his eyes, his arms wrapping around his torso as best they could. "People could…see."

John moved back over, and slipped his arms around Rodney, pressing light kisses into the sides of his mouth. "No one is here but you and me. Who else are you worried about?"

"Neighbors. Always nosey."

One eyebrow went up. "We've been gone for a year, and we're only back for a month. Not to mention, do you really care what the neighbors think?"

"John, I’m not the only scientist or Cheyenne Mountain employee living here."

Pulling away, John went to the windows and pulled all the drapes closed before coming back to Rodney. "Better? I want you naked for the rest of the night. I like looking at you."

He nodded slowly, his post-orgasmic haze fully replaced by tension of a different sort—fear that they'd be found out and lose everything.

"Hey. It's okay. You've got an amazing body, and I don't get to just watch you move all that often. So let's go make dinner. You'll get used to it pretty fast, and then you won't even notice you aren't wearing clothes anymore."

"Maybe," Rodney muttered, but let John lead him to the kitchen. He moved away from his lover as soon as his feet hit the cold tile, heading to the fridge and finding the exact items he'd requested—pre-made meals from a local gourmet food place. "We have food. Can you turn the oven on? Needs to be on three-fifty."

He heard John fussing with it, then the scrape of one of the stools as John made himself comfortable at the counter. He could feel hazel eyes burning into him. "What do you have to drink?"

"I…have no idea," Rodney admitted, turning around from where he was transferring the food to oven-safe dishes. "You can check the fridge. I might have some hard stuff in the living room."

"I don't think I want to get drunk yet. I'll settle for a soda or water for now. My tolerance is low enough that even beer will probably make me tipsy. And I have things I want to do tonight that don't involve sleeping off alcohol."

Rodney nodded, washing his hands in the sink before turning back to the fridge since John hadn't moved. "Don't worry. I'll do all the work," Rodney commented snidely as he looked inside. "I have Coke and some diet soda…ice tea, I think, juice, water…" He turned around to look at John. "What do you want?"

"Besides you? Coke is fine. And if I move around doing work, I can't watch you move around and show off that cute ass for me."

Rodney felt himself flush as he reached into the fridge and grabbed two sodas, handing one to John as the oven beeped, reaching the temperature he needed. Maneuvering their dinner in, Rodney set the timer and dropped the potholders on the counter. "We have twenty minutes. Want a tour? It won't take that long."

"Sure." John motioned for Rodney to walk ahead of him. "So this is the kitchen, right?"

Rodney rolled his eyes upward as he glanced over his shoulder at John. "Obviously." He kept moving, stepping over the pile of his clothes just inside the front door. "And this," he said, gesturing to the next open room, "is the living room complete with satellite TV, DVDs, tapes, CDs, a pretty decent entertainment system, and couches."

John was right behind him, and warm hands settled on his hips. "Very nice. Got a game system?"

"No. Never saw the point. Was never home long and ended up watching a movie usually."

"Hmmm. I'll buy you a PlayStation. Kick your ass at the racing games." A smile was pressed into his shoulder.

Rodney sighed, letting his body lean into John, his muscles still tense. "You can see the bathroom from here," he said, pointing. "And beyond that is the guest room. I’m guessing that's where they put your clothes and stuff. The master bedroom is back the other way and has its own bathroom."

"Show me."

"Which?"

"The master bedroom. That's where I'll be staying—with you. My stuff can stay in the other room though, in case anyone drops by."

Rodney moved, stepping out of John's embrace. "Come on, then."

John followed him, staying close enough to keep a hand on Rodney's ass as they moved.

Glancing over his shoulder, Rodney scowled at John before stepping into his bedroom, the queen-sized bed exactly how he remembered it.

"Mmmmm. Nice bed."

"Prescription mattress."

"Looks comfy. I like the posts."

Rodney felt his face flush. "I liked the set. Lot of space in the drawers and there were matching bookcases."

"And posts." The hand still on his ass was now moving, tracing lightly up and down the crack.

"Yes, there are posts," Rodney confirmed, leaning back against John's hand. "Lube's in the bedside table. I'd like to not burn dinner if at all possible."

"That's a convenient place for it. But it would be hard to eat with my fingers buried inside you, I'll admit."

"I know you know how to do quick. You've shown me often enough over the last two weeks."

"True, but when I take you again tonight, it won't be quick. Most of our stuff is still in Pegasus, but we can improvise."

"I'm sure you can," Rodney said, glancing over his shoulder to offer him a smile. "Tick tock, tick tock."

John leaned in ghosting his lips across Rodney's forehead. "Let's go check on dinner."

"You didn't come yet," Rodney said, one of his hands reaching back to cup John's erection through his jeans.

John sucked in his breath at the contact. "Yeah, I had noticed that." He moved back out of reach, starting down the hall. "But I'll live. We don't want to burn dinner, and you need to eat something."

Rodney looked at him for a long moment before padding off down the hall after him. It still felt weird to be walking around his apartment naked. He'd never done that even when he'd been alone. They were quiet as Rodney pulled out plates and cutlery, waiting for the timer to ring.

"I hope this will be okay," McKay finally said as he peered in the oven, still a few minutes on the clock.

"It'll be fine." John shifted on his chair, and Rodney knew the tight jeans had to be uncomfortable. He was back to watching Rodney walk around the room, eyes glued to either groin or ass, depending on which way Rodney was facing. While he had to admit that he liked the attention—loved John's eyes on him—walking around his apartment naked was another thing entirely. On Atlantis it was different. Once they locked the door to their quarters, it was just the two of them. John could lock down the room to make sure they had privacy.

Here…here anyone could stop by, look in. It was like they were open and exposed…just like he was now.

But John liked him like this.

And that was the only thing that stopped him from tugging on a pair of boxers. He wanted to make John happy and if being naked managed that, then Rodney was okay with it.

Rodney turned back to John, finally meeting his gaze with a heated one of his own. "I could blow you if you want."

The sip of Coke Sheppard had just taken was spit across the room. "Give a guy some warning before you say things like that!"

Rodney scowled, looking at the trail on the clean floor. "Nice, Sheppard."

John chuckled, the first time Rodney had heard the sound since they had come back to Earth. Sliding off the stool, Sheppard reached for the paper towels. "I'll clean it up."

"Good," Rodney said as the timer went off, pulling his attention to the oven and their dinner—some kind of Mexican thing that Rodney used to like. Using the potholders, he maneuvered the dish out of the oven and onto a hotplate on the counter next to the plates. Switching off the oven, he dropped the potholders on the counter, turning to watch John as he cleaned up the floor. "We can eat in here or in the living room."

John stood and dropped the soggy mess into the trash, then backed Rodney all the way into the counter. Hands on his waist were the only warning he got before he was lifted—Sheppard was a lot stronger than he looked!—up, his bare ass hitting the cool laminate. John pushed Rodney's legs apart as far as he could, lifting them so Rodney was rather obscenely displayed.

"John!"

"Yes?" John was staring at him, licking his lips a little. "I think I want to eat here."

"O…kay," Rodney replied, still feeling awkward, but willing to see what his lover had in mind.

"Beautiful." John hooked Rodney's legs around his shoulders to keep them apart and pushed Rodney back so he was on his elbows, hips canted up slightly. John leaned down, the position giving him access to anything he wanted. Nipples were treated to a flick of tongue, the tip of his dick got a little suck, the entrance to his body was penetrated.

With his shoulders against the wall, Rodney had nowhere to go as John played and teased him, making him moan and whimper as his lover touched him.

A hand was wrapped around his cock, which was rapidly getting with the program. John touched him until he was hard, then let go, returning his efforts to Rodney's ass, alternating between pushing fingers and tongue inside.

"Oh god, John…please…John…oh…" Rodney moaned, his eyes closing as he enjoyed the feel of his lover. He would never look at his kitchen the same way again.

John moved back to Rodney's dick. He started to lick, broad, wet stripes from his balls to the head, then back down again. John had worked two fingers inside him now, and after a few tries found his prostate. Instead of pulling back out, he began to massage it, putting almost continuous pressure on the little gland.

Rodney shuddered, moaning low and deep, words—let alone complete sentences—far beyond his ability.

"Come." It was an order, given in between licks. John wasn't asking, and from the tone Rodney knew he expected to be obeyed.

"Oh…" Rodney uttered as his head thumped against the wall, his cock obeying immediately, pleasure rolling through his body as he felt his come coating his stomach as he climaxed, John licking and kissing his dick until it softened.

John hummed his pleasure. "So good, Rodney. You're just so perfect." He eased Rodney's legs down and stepped away long enough to get a few paper towels damp. He carefully cleaned the come away as Rodney recovered.

It took a few minutes before Rodney sat up again, his body relaxed and sated. "What about you, John?"

As soon as he was able to balance on his own, John moved to where dinner had been cooling, setting the small dinette table in the corner with a few plates and silverware Rodney had pulled out earlier, then bringing the food over. He looked up with an almost dreamy look on his face. "Getting you off is kinda relaxing."

"But—"

"Come here." John unbuttoned his pants and pushed them down just enough that he was able to pull his own leaking dick out. From the look of relief that passed over his features, Rodney knew it had hurt. He sat down in his customary sprawl, made incredibly erotic by the new addition.

Rodney slid off the counter, his bare feet not making a sound as he padded over to John, dropping to his knees before him, already aiming at Sheppard's cock, his mouth open.

"Not like that. Stand up and straddle me." John grabbed a tube of lube he had apparently grabbed from the bedroom—God only knows when—and slicked himself up. Then he positioned Rodney and pulled him down until Rodney was completely impaled. Rodney could feel the stiff fabric rubbing against his thighs and ass as John settled him.

"Oh…" Rodney moaned. He could never get enough of John, of having his cock in his ass. Leaning forward he caught Sheppard's mouth in a kiss—wet and dirty—as he clenched his muscles around him.

John kissed him for a moment and then pulled away. He picked up one of the forks, getting a bite of food and pressed that to Rodney's lips instead. "Eat."

Rodney took the food in his mouth and chewed it before swallowing. "You're going to feed me?" he asked, his arms on Sheppard's waist, fingers trying to get to skin.

"Yes. You need to eat. I know you haven't had anything since lunch." John took a bite himself before pressing another to Rodney's lips.

"And you know this how?"

"Lucky guess."

"I did have a snack in the afternoon after I sent Adams back down to the labs crying."

John's laugh reverberated up through his cock and all through Rodney's body. "Good to know. But you still need dinner."

"So you're going to feed me while I sit on your cock?"

"Looks that way, doesn't it?" John continued to feed them both.

Rodney finally managed to get to skin and ran his hands upward in search of John's nipples, tweaking and squeezing the small nubs.

John bucked up slightly, pushing a fraction further into Rodney at the contact. He managed to still himself, and with a grin, fed another bite of food to Rodney.

With a raise of his eyebrow, Rodney continued his assault, managing to totally distract John, the fork nearly falling from his fingers.

John's head fell back on a moan, and he panted for a minute. "Rodney... Oh god..."

Leaning in, Rodney licked a stripe up John's throat as he continued to tease and play with his nipples.

"You know...if I come now, you have to wait until my brain comes back online to ...oh there, oh god... to eat anything else." John was arching his chest into the touches.

"You will, yes," Rodney replied with an evil chuckle, nibbling on John's neck.

"You will...too. Not going to eat...unless I feed it to you." John's head fell to the side to give Rodney access, although the hand on his hip prevented him from moving at all.

"We'll see about that," Rodney said, licking and nibbling a little more.

"If you eat without me, you don't come the rest of the night." John looked at him through his lashes, grinning between groans of pleasure.

"Oh, come on," Rodney growled, leaning back.

His lover sighed. "So I guess that means you want to finish eating first?" He picked the fork back up off the table and pressed another bite on Rodney.

Taking a bite, Rodney frowned at John. "You're no fun."

John laughed. "I'm feeding you dinner while impaled on my dick, after making you come twice so far already. And I'm no fun? Wow, you're a tough date."

Rodney huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "It's not that. We could be moving to the sex part so much quicker if we just ate."

"We can just eat all the time. It's not often I can indulge my sensual side. So deal with it. Not to mention, this is pretty good. If I feed you, I know you'll eat slow enough to enjoy it."

"Of course it's good. Do you think I’m going to get—" Rodney said, only to be cut off when John put more food in his mouth.

"I know you buy good quality stuff, but you eat so fast, you don't actually get to taste it, enjoy it. Savor, Rodney. This is all about savoring. The taste of the food. The way I feel inside you. My hands on your body."

Rodney sighed and rolled his eyes. He just wanted to get on with it already.

John began to stroke along Rodney's side, long, leisurely touches as he kept feeding him. "Relax. Enjoy. Stop fighting me."

"And you say this with your cock up my ass."

"You would think with my cock up your ass that you wouldn't be fighting me."

"Well, then you thought wrong, didn't you?"

"Why are you so tense? I know why I am."

Rodney sighed. "This is just…weird…here, in my apartment…on Earth."

John got a hand around his neck and pulled him in for a kiss. "Good weird or bad weird."

"Weird weird. It's only been me and my cat here."

"I want to enjoy you. All we can have on Atlantis is a quiet, secret thing. I want to have some place where we can be open about it, do whatever we want and not worry about someone walking in or reporting us."

"Then we need to get out of Colorado Springs."

"I know." John nodded. "Want to go to Vegas?"

"Vegas?"

"Yeah, it's a fun town. Ever been?"

"Except for a physics convention, no."

"How were you stationed at Area 51 and you didn't go to Vegas occasionally? I'll book us a flight and hotel, and plan out stuff to do. It'll be fun!" John fed Rodney the last bite of dinner.

"I had better things to do," Rodney said after he swallowed, reaching for his can of soda only to be intercepted by John.

John picked it up and held it up to Rodney's lips. He smirked. "Now I'm your better thing to do."

Taking a sip, Rodney rolled his eyes. "Isn't that the other way 'round?" he asked as John pulled the can away.

"Eh, semantics. In the end, it all resorts in spectacular orgasms, so what difference does it make?"

Rodney shrugged. "Seeing that I’m usually the one with a cock up his ass, it matters. Not that I mind, really," he added, tightening his muscles around John's dick still deep within him.

John's breath stuttered. "I think you can pick up where you left off before."

"Why? I'm actually quite comfortable just like this," Rodney said with a smirk. And honestly, he was. He loved John's cock in his ass, loved the full feeling it gave him.

"I've been hard for the better part of an hour now. You have no idea how much I need to come."

"Actually, I think I know better than you, Major Don't-Think-of-Touching-Yourself-All-Day-While-You're-Wearing-A-Vibrating-Cock-Ring Sheppard."

John's chuckle once more spread through Rodney's body. "We need to do that again—Hey! Now that we're Earth-side, we need to go shopping. If you thought a vibrating cock ring alone was bad... Mmmmm...we could add a plug, or I could push a dildo deep inside you and leave it there...the possibilities are almost endless."

"Shopping? Like in a store?"

"You've never gone to a sex store before?"

Rodney leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest as he scowled. "I didn't say that."

"I have a long list of things I want to use on you." John began to push his hips up slightly. The angle and Rodney's weight meant he could only pull back a little, making the thrusts short and almost lazy.

McKay's eyes fluttered a little as John moved inside of him, his breath catching in his throat as he moved his hands to hold onto John's waist. It was still amazing what this man could do to him, could make him feel—even after all of this time. "Oh…"

John's hands found his nipples, where they started to tweak and twirl. "Can you come again, like this?"

"Very…good…possibility," Rodney panted in between breaths as he started to move up and down on John's cock, needing to feel more.

One hand left a nipple and wrapped itself around his dick, stroking it back to full hardness. "God, you're so responsive." John was panting again, hips moving to meet Rodney on every stroke.

Moaning, Rodney tightened his grip on John's waist, his eyes losing the battle to stay open. "You say…say it like it's a bad thing," he finally managed to say, the words whispered, rough, as he tried to hold on.

The nipple still being fondled was pinched before it was soothed again. "Just the opposite. I love...oh...how you respond to me. I love finding new things to do to you because I know you'll...oh god, I'm getting close...react so beautifully."

Rodney dove in, opening his eyes long enough to latch onto John's mouth, crushing the hands between them.

John opened up, pushed his way into Rodney's mouth, tongue diving deep. He managed to get his hands free of their bodies, both of them settling on Rodney's hips, encouraging him to move, setting the pace.

Trying his best—the angle wasn't the best and it was hard work—McKay rode John, his orgasm just out of reach and he was beginning to tire.

John broke the kiss and worked a hand back around him. "Need you to come for me. Let me feel you."

Resting his forehead against John's shoulder, Rodney panted and moaned, his thrusts getting shorter and more erratic as John stroked him, bringing him higher and higher. It was like his body didn't want to let go yet, forcing him to wait just a little bit longer. What was his subconscious doing to him?

"Come." John whispered it into his ear, accompanied by the twisty thing he sometimes did along the head of Rodney's cock.

His next breath caught in his throat as his body shuddered long and hard, come spilling over John's hand and between their bodies, coating Rodney's stomach and John's shirt. Sheppard held him as he trembled, his own thrusts jerky as Rodney clenched around him. A moment later and he felt the warm flush as John came deep inside him.

John's arms pulled him close, breath hot on Rodney's neck as they both recovered.

"I've come twice in my kitchen in less than an hour, which is more than it ever happened the entire time I lived here before."

His body shook to John's amusement. "Good to know. And this is just the first night. Not to mention, we have a lot of other rooms to get to. Before we go back to Atlantis, I don't want there to be any spot you don't think about sex with me, and what I did to you there."

Pressing his face closer to John's shoulder, Rodney groaned. "You are going to kill me."

"Nah. If I did that, I wouldn't be able to do this any more." Lips were pressed to the sensitive skin behind his ear, along the pulse-point.

Rodney hummed and shivered, his body still extra sensitive. "I got come all over your shirt, you know."

"You have a washing machine, right? I'll toss a load in before we go to bed."

"Yes, John."

John spent the next several minutes kissing and sucking on that pulse point—not enough to mark, but enough to let Rodney know what he was doing. "You smell so good. And every part of you is a little different. I can't get enough."

"Don't you…don't you think we should move out of the kitchen?" Rodney finally managed to ask, taking a few minutes to string together enough words to make a sentence.

"Probably. We need to clean up dinner, and I need to get out of these sticky clothes and get you cleaned up."

"Hmm…probably," Rodney replied, loving how John made him feel, all sated and boneless and safe and loved. God, he was a girl.

John turned his head and captured Rodney's mouth in a sweet kiss. "Come on, let's get the chores out of the way, and then you can show me your kick-ass entertainment center. Making out during movies is always a great way to spend an evening."

"We can do them in the morning," Rodney protested, trying to dive back in for a kiss, but John's hands on his shoulders prevented him. Opening his eyes to glare at his lover, John just tightened his grip.

"Dishes. If you take care of them, I'll go strip and come back with something to clean you up with. This way we don't have to worry about them later."

"So I get to make dinner and clean up? How is that fair?"

"I gave you three orgasms for making dinner. I think I can get a few more in for cleaning up." The self-satisfied smirk John was giving him should not be as endearing as it was.

"I'm not sure about that," Rodney replied, giving John his own version of the smirk.

The smirk turned into a real smile. "Come on. Get started, and I'll come help. I do want to get out of these clothes, and you can't be comfortable with all that come on your chest. I'll grab a washcloth and get you cleaned off."

He shrugged, making no move to actually get up. "Actually, the Pegasus galaxy has done far worse. This is nothing."

The kiss this time was harder. "No thinking of anything related to Pegasus, Atlantis, the SGC, or anything else but me, whatever movie we put on, and all the ways I'm going to make you feel good."

"I already feel good."

John shook his head. "It's a good thing I have a soft spot for stubborn physicists." He sat up and maneuvered Rodney off him so he could stand, letting Rodney drop back into the seat he had vacated. Leaning in, he got another kiss in. "Maybe more than just a soft spot."

"You know, I’m now getting come on the kitchen chairs." He scowled up at his lover, hoping some of his…play was enough to distract him from the SGC. It seemed to be working so far.

"I know. Great huh? I wonder how many surfaces of your house we can get come on."

"Do you have any idea how unhygienic that is?"

"It's your own come. Not to mention, I regularly swallow it, so I don't think you need to worry about it being toxic."

"You just can't leave it about willy-nilly," Rodney protested, making a note to look for disinfectant. He had it somewhere.

John chuckled as he picked up the dishes and deposited them in the sink. "I can't believe you just used the phrase willy-nilly."

"Why not?"

"It's not a very, I don't know, scientific term." The noise John made could only be classified as a snicker.

"And you're the expert in scientific terms now?" Rodney raised his eyebrow as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Never said I was. Just pointing out that willy-nilly is a bit, um, silly?" John was giggling—actually giggling—as he walked down the hall, returning a moment later with a washcloth he must have found under the sink. He looked a bit obscene prancing around with his pants open and dick hanging out.

"And do you think this is some kind of porno flick or something?" Rodney asked, eyeing John's cock.

"If you think I'm going to stuff it back into tight, wet jeans, you're crazy. Don't want to damage the goods after all."

"Little damp were you?"

"I was leaking for a while before I got relief." John went to his knees in front of Rodney and started to gently clean away the come starting to dry on his chest.

"I did offer to help with that," Rodney said smugly, happy he'd at least remembered to do that much.

When John got high enough that he bumped Rodney's arms, he tugged them free, putting one on each of his own shoulders. "I wasn't ready to come then. I was more interested in getting you off at the time."

"Apparently," Rodney replied, moving to put his arms back, but stopping when he got a glare from John.

When Rodney put his arms back where John wanted them, he was rewarded with a wet lick to his abused nipples before his lover went back to cleaning him.

Watching John as he worked, Rodney couldn't help but love the man's concentration, his attention to detail, and just…all of him. He leaned forward, brushing his lips against John's in a light kiss.

John smiled against his lips. "Love you."

"Love you, too, even though you have some odd ideas about locations for sex."

"There is no such thing as an odd location for sex. It can and should be performed as often as possible in every location possible."

"Really?"

"Oh yeah."

"So, what's next then?" Rodney asked, leaning back far enough to smirk at John. His eyes were amused, light.

"I’m not sure. Maybe a little cuddling. Maybe something else. Haven't decided yet. All I know is that it involves your couch and watching television."

"Oh, really? Like what? I need to know if it's worth my precious time and energy." This time Rodney managed to get his arms crossed over his chest again.

John tugged them free again, scowling slightly. "Stop that. I like being able to see your pert little nipples."

"What? Are you going to blindfold me and tie me up or something? It's not like we have anything here. And this is my apartment." Indignant was a good look for Rodney.

"You underestimate my ability to find things to tie you up with." The look in John's eyes should probably have worried him. His lover rose and disappeared for a moment. Rodney could hear him rummaging through all his stuff. When John reappeared a moment later, he was carrying a roll of clear packing tape. "Stand up."

Rodney felt his eyes go wide, gaze fixed on the tape in John's hands. "What?! What do you intend on doing with that?"

"Stand up. I won't ask again."

Rodney raised an eyebrow, but didn't move. "Or what?"

"Suit yourself." John gave him another wicked grin and then moved behind the chair. Before Rodney knew what was happening, his arms were pulled behind him and taped together, then secured to the chair. "You could have just been bound, then gone to sit somewhere more comfortable, but since you like this chair, you can stay here. I'm flexible."

"John!"

"I told you I wouldn't ask again." The smug soldier moved back around where Rodney could see him. "Now, I think I need to go get out of these clothes, and since you didn't do the dishes, I guess I'll have to."

"Come on, I was kidding," Rodney whined, struggling to get his hands free. As surprised as he was by John's actions, he was also shocked by his own reaction—and growing interest. They'd only used the cuffs or bondage in the bedroom—or the one time in the jumper—so this was different.

John eyed the evidence of his interest, and smirked again. "No, I think I'll leave you there for a few minutes. I'll be right back. Where's your laundry room, and do you keep the detergent there or someplace else?"

"What is this? Your version of sitting in the corner?"

"No. I just want to be able to see your nipples, and you kept trying to cover them up. This way, I get to look whenever I want. I was going to just bind your arms behind your back so you could still move around, but I'm not the one who wouldn't stand up." John disappeared down the hall, his voice floating into the kitchen a moment later. "Ah ha! Found your laundry room, and your cleaning lady left you detergent and fabric softener."

"I certainly hope so," Rodney grumbled to himself. "Paid her enough."

John reappeared after a few minutes, now completely naked himself. He paused to look over Rodney's body, making a humming noise of pleasure. Then he walked over to the sink and started heating the water.

"This is completely unfair," Rodney complained a few minutes later, shifting as much as the tape—packing tape!— bindings would allow.

When John finished with the dishes, he dried everything and put it all away. Then he came back over and straddled Rodney's legs, sitting on his knees. He grinned, then leaned in to attack the nipples he had been so insistent about seeing, biting them, licking them, sucking them. He alternated back and forth, fondling whichever one he wasn't focused on with his free hand.

Rodney wasn't sure what he wanted. He moved between wanting more to wanting less, trying to pull away, but John only followed, not letting up. Squirming and moaning under the assault, John slowly reduced him to a quivering mass of nerves, unable to string more than a few words together that weren't "more please, oh god, John, or ohh".

When he got to that point, John pulled back, brushing kisses across his mouth as he panted for breath. "I'm going to unhook you from the chair, but I'm leaving your hands bound. Then we're going in to the living room where it's a bit more comfortable."

Rodney managed to nod, his head dropping forward as he panted. John moved and cut through the tape holding him to the chair and helped him to his feet, moving slowly toward the living room. He could still feel the dried come on his ass and the back of his legs.

John apparently noticed it, too. When they got to the couch, he stopped Rodney from sitting down, and used the cloth he must have picked up from where he had dropped it before. John found all the remotes and put them within reach, then sat in the corner of the couch. "Come sit with me, and find a position that's comfortable for you."

The few minutes without stimulation had at least given him his ability to think and form sentences back. "Like this?"

"Yes. Your hands are staying that way for now, unless it's uncomfortable or cutting off circulation." John raised an eyebrow in question.

"The tape is uncomfortable," he admitted after a moment.

"Hmmm, what else do you have around here? You can't help yourself from moving your hands around, and I want them still for a little while." John turned him around, sitting up on the edge of the couch as he carefully took the tape off, kissing all along Rodney's wrists where it had been.

"It's not like I keep rope around," Rodney grumbled, trying his best not to pull his arms forward. The skin felt a little sore and sticky from the tape.

"We're going shopping soon, and I'm getting some basics to keep here." John pulled him down, settling them on the couch so Rodney was lying with his back against John's chest, strong arms wrapped around him. His own hands were placed on John's thighs, a small squeeze letting him know John wanted him to keep them there.

"I have ties…" Rodney said after a minute, his mind still inventorying his apartment. Besides, he knew that leaving his hands where John wanted them for any length of time was a statistical improbability. There was too much of John's skin he could touch. "We've used them before. I probably have a dozen in my room."

John nuzzled his neck. "Since you know where they are, go get them."

"You want me to get the stuff you're going to use to tie me up?"

"Yes. Because we both know you want to be tied up."

Rodney rolled his eyes as he huffed. "So you read minds now?"

One hand drifted down to Rodney's dick that was, surprisingly, half-hard again. "I don't need to read minds to know you like it."

Rodney groaned as John held him. "I…get the point."

John started nibbling the skin he had been breathing against. "If you have clean socks around, bring those too. I can use them to pad under the ties so they don't chafe."

"Of course I have clean socks," Rodney grumbled, but got to his feet, John smacking his ass as he moved past him. With a scowl he padded off to his room, hearing the television click on as he dug into his closet, pulling about half of his ties from the hooks and grabbing two pairs of white crew socks, dropping everything on the bed as another urge reared its head.

"John?"

"Yeah?"

"Gonna pee before I come back. Wanted you to know so you didn’t think I climbed out a window."

He heard a laugh floating in from the living room. "Good to know."

He loved hearing John laugh, even if it was at him. He took care of business quickly, using a washcloth to clean himself off a little better—with warm water, too—before moving back into the bedroom. He grabbed a tube of lube and picked up the pile of stuff before heading back into the living room where John was engrossed with some football game. Dropping the pile on the table, Rodney stood in front of John and waited, shifting on his feet.

John hummed a little as he looked over what Rodney had brought. "Lube—good idea. I knew dating a genius would have some perks." He was almost absently running his hands up and down the inside of Rodney's thighs.

"Are you actually going to watch this garbage when there are so many other things we could be watching?" Rodney asked, glancing over his shoulder at the television.

"It's football! How you can dislike football is beyond me. But as a matter of fact, now that you're here, I was going to find something we can both enjoy." John turned him around, pulled a sock over each hand before using a tie to secure them together. "Now, the order from earlier stands. Find a position where you're comfortable."

"I'd rather poke my eyes out that watch football. Hockey at least is a real sport," Rodney commented as he sat on the edge of the couch, not quite sure what would be comfortable. It wasn’t like he'd ever sat on his own couch with his arms tied behind him.

"You might try lying on your side, propped against me and stretched along the length of the couch," John suggested absently. He started flipping channels, stopping when he got to the food channel. "Hey! Iron Chef! This is a great show. The American re-make sucked, but the original Japanese is awesome."

Rodney sighed, but managed to maneuver himself so he was leaning mostly against John, hands tucked against the back of the couch so he wasn't putting all his weight on them. "And if my hands were free I would poke my eyes out."

"Not an Iron Chef fan either, huh?" John leaned down to press a casual, easy kiss on his lips. "What do you like to watch? Besides hockey I mean?"

"I have no idea. I don't even know what's on."

"Me neither. Hence the channel surfing." He flipped a few more times, stopping on one of those channels that played old sitcoms. He grinned down at Rodney. "MacGyver. Okay, even you have to like this. You're like the real-life version of the guy."

"I've seen it."

"So?"

"So, I've seen it." Rodney shifted again, tugging at his bound wrists and realizing that John knew exactly what he was doing. And with the socks over his hands, he couldn't even pick at the knots.

John watched the screen for a moment, the arm wrapped around him idly stroking skin. "Does he remind you of anyone? The guy who plays MacGyver, I mean."

"I…what?" Rodney replied, shaking his head. John flipped through some more channels, stopping on a few before continuing on, ending up on one of the movie channels. After a few minutes, Rodney closed his eyes and groaned. "How can you watch this stuff?"

"Hey, this is a classic!"

"A classic nightmare."

John tipped his head up for another kiss. "I suppose I could think of other things for you to do while I watch the bad movies."

"Like what?" Rodney asked once John pulled his head back.

"Hmmm. Maybe I should just play with you for a while. And since you brought the lube, I could really play."

"John."

"Close your eyes and just feel for a while." John had shifted Rodney so he had a little better access to his ass. He'd gotten one finger slick, and he began to draw it back and forth along the crack of Rodney's ass, passing over his entrance over and over, but never pushing inside.

Rodney squirmed a little, but managed to raise an eyebrow. "Make me."

John shook his head. "I just want to touch you for a while. Can I?"

At John's tone, Rodney nodded.

The slick finger meandering up and down the crack, dipping inside briefly before moving on again. He adjusted Rodney's legs so he had access to Rodney's cock and balls, too, spending some time playing with them as well. John had put Iron Chef back on, and Rodney finally closed his eyes, trying to concentrate on the feel of John's hands on him.

John kept it up until the credits started rolling. "I knew Morimoto would win. He's the best of all the Iron Chefs anyway."

"What does it matter?" Rodney asked, his tone not as sharp as it might have been. "It's a stupid show. All that reality television is just pointless."

John chuckled. "I think I want you to give me a blow-job."

"Like I can actually get up from this contortionist position you put me in," Rodney complained, not even making the attempt to move. Honestly, without John's help he doubted he could. He had no leverage to push himself up with his hands tied behind his back.

"All you have to do is ask." John gently helped him up, repositioning him like he wanted, then slumping back into the couch, legs spread wide, leer on his face. Apparently the play had aroused him again as well, as he was hard. "Put that clever mouth of yours to use."

With a smirk, Rodney leaned in, knowing that he could shatter John with his mouth. This he knew how to do very well. Using teeth, tongue, and suction, he pulled John higher and higher, backing off when he felt his lover starting to tense, waiting as he came down from the edge a little before he started again.

John was panting hard. "Oh...fuck...why don't I...have you do this...more often?" Rodney could feel that he was aborting his attempts to thrust up.

Rodney continued, feeling John's hands on the back of his head, holding him in place so he couldn't back off anymore. So he kept at it, feeling John spiral higher and higher, thrusting now, his cock hitting the back of his throat. Closing his eyes, Rodney relaxed his muscles and let John slide in further and swallowed.

With a strangled cry, John was coming, spilling down the back of his throat. His fingers slid out of Rodney's hair, and his whole body went boneless. "...broke me..."

Rodney backed off a little so he wasn't choking and held John in his mouth until he softened. He licked him and cleaned him up, kissing the tip when he was done.

John slid off the couch, and wrapped his arms around Rodney, getting them both settled on the floor.

"Feel better?"

"Thank you. I need this, all of this, tonight." Rodney felt the ties loosen behind him, and after a moment he was able to wrap his own arms around John.

"Good," Rodney said, not bothering to try to get his hands out of the socks for now. It didn't matter, really.

John was quiet for a while, curling into Rodney's body as much as possible. "Did you mean it before? If they reassign me and I retire...you'll..."

Rodney tried not to sigh, all his hard work undone. "I thought we weren't talking about that."

"Sorry." John found his lips and nibbled for a while. "I do love you, you know. I feel like a girl wanting to say it all the time, but I don't want you to doubt it again."

"The answer is yes. I wasn't kidding when I said it."

John nibbled for a while longer, then sighed. "We should get showered, and get some sleep. You have to be in early tomorrow."

"I know."

"You didn't come again, did you?"

"Not yet, no," Rodney said, breathing against John's skin.

"Want to fuck me?"

"I…" Rodney pulled back. "You need to be able to walk tomorrow and sit without problems, John. You know how you get."

"I'll be all right. I'm pretty much done with debriefs, I just have to go over some paperwork before I'm officially released on leave for the next three weeks..."

"John, no. No one gives me a second glance, but with you…if anything's out of place…I don't want to be the reason they actually do what they're thinking about doing."

John sighed. "All right. Later though? When I'm on leave? Think about it."

"The answer is yes for later. No need to think about it."

The blinding smile he got was a bit breathtaking. John pushed him until he was on his back, kissing him breathless for a few minutes.

"Hmmm," Rodney said, smiling into John's lips. "One thing, though."

"Anything."

"More for future reference than anything."

"Mmmm." John had moved to kiss down his neck.

"Before…was good, but the television was way too distracting."

John's whole body shook with laughter. "You're one of those guys who gets distracted by the pretty pictures, aren't you?"

"It never used to happen before. But with no television…" Rodney took a breath. "I'm just saying if you want to do something like that again, you might need to take some…other measures to make sure you have my full and undivided attention."

"Or just turn the TV off. You're more interesting that anything they've got on anyway. Next time we'll rent a movie to watch, and have sex afterwards. How's that sound?"

"I…ah…liked the idea that you were watching television and playing…" Rodney admitted, feeling his cheeks flush.

"I liked being able to play with you. It's one of the reasons I always want you naked."

"And I like it when you play which means we make a great couple."

"The best kind." John had made his way down to Rodney's nipples, and he started sucking on them, using his tongue to roll them around in his mouth.

Rodney wrapped his arms tighter around John, kneading his back muscles, his happy moans encouraging the other man to continue.

John continued his southern path, stopping to tongue-fuck Rodney's belly button until he drew out long, whimpering sobs and pleas from Rodney. Then he finally reached his destination, taking Rodney in slow and deep.

Clutching at the carpet-covered floor with his sock-covered hands, Rodney tried not to thrust upward into the warm heat, managing to stop mid-thrust.

John didn't use the tricks that usually had Rodney coming in a few minutes. Instead, he drew it out, returning the favor from earlier, bringing Rodney to brink over and over, only to gentle him back down again.

Sobbing in frustration and arousal, Rodney's body and cock throbbed with need. He cursed John's ability to do this to him, but loved every touch and sensation.

John started to hum, and, taking pity on him after what felt like forever, he began to speed things up, pushing his tongue into the slit at the top on every upstroke, swirling it all around the base as he worked his way down, even throwing in the occasionally light scrape of teeth.

He knew he was whimpering and sobbing, begging John without words to finish him, but he didn't care. Instead, John kept teasing, the touch on his cock firming up, but still not enough to make him come.

John pulled off for a moment, although his hand continued to stroke. "Rodney."

"Please…" he finally moaned, body shuddering, trembling as he hovered just on the edge of completion.

John paused for a moment, then, with a twist of his thumb along the head of Rodney's cock, he let go. "Come."

There was a roaring in his ears and his entire body tensed for a long moment, his breath catching in his throat and then he was coming, fluid spilling across his stomach as he groaned and sank back onto the floor, his body shuddering through the aftershocks of his orgasm.

John's hand was back, gentling him through the waves of pleasure. When it got to be too much, he let go, and Rodney could feel him lying down alongside him, propped up on an elbow, a look of awe on his face.

Turning his head so he could see John better, he offered a lazy smile, his eyelids threatening to close.

"How long have you been coming on command? I didn't notice it until earlier. That's...so unbelievably hot, I don't even have words to describe it."

"What?"

John reached out to caress his face, his expression turning tender. "I can't remember a time when I haven't told you to come before you actually do. And just now, I wasn't even touching you when I said... you came on command, and..." John leaned in to kiss him. "So hot."

"I…" Rodney began, his words only to be swallowed by John's mouth. He hadn't realized it before, but if John was happy then he was happy. Very simple. Kissing him back slowly, lazily, Rodney's eyes closed and he felt John's hands on the sides of his face, holding him still. His own arms were wrapped around John—sock-clad hands and all—running up and down his lover's back—the pace slowing as slumber threatened.

John pulled back and Rodney opened his eyes, coming face-to-face with a goofy grin. "Shower, I think. We're both pretty sticky at this point."

"Tired," Rodney whined.

"I know. Let's take a quick shower and then go try out your bed. God, we can sleep all night in a bed larger than a twin."

"I know what my bed feels like," he mumbled, his eyes closing.

"Yes, but you don't know what it feels like with me in it with you." John stood up and pulled until Rodney was on his feet, gently tugging the socks off and tossing them to the floor. "But look on the bright side, we don't have to get undressed, or put anything on when we get done."

"Always good," Rodney said, letting John lead him to his room and the shower. It was strange to shower in his own bathroom with another person, but it was a good strange.

John made quick work of it, grumbling under his breath about missing mind-controlled appliances, then got them both toweled down and into the bedroom. He pulled back the covers, letting Rodney slip between them, then following. "Nice."

"Mmmm. Egyptian cotton."

"I like it."

"Shut up. I need to sleep now."

Laughing, John kissed his shoulder before snuggling in closer. "Sir, yes sir."

"My line," Rodney whispered, the protest half-hearted as his eyes drifted closed, feeling John tighten his arms around him.

"You can have it back tomorrow. Now sleep. Goodnight, Rodney."

He sighed happily. "Night."

***

John woke up slowly, luxuriating in the feel of the warm body under him. He shifted so he could watch Rodney wake up—he loved watching those blue eyes first thing in the morning, so open and innocent and full of love.

It only took a few minutes before Rodney was stirring, shifting his muscles as he woke, eyes slowly drifting open.

"Hey."

"Hmm," Rodney said with a smile, his eyes tracking around the room until the found the clock—and nearly gave John a black eye when he shot up in bed. "Fuck, I'm late."

"Huh, what?" John watched in bemusement as Rodney started dashing around the room looking for things, pulling on clothes with speeds that would give most people whiplash.

"I'm supposed to be at the SGC in ten minutes and it'll take me nearly forty-five to get there at this time of the morning. Crap, crap, crap." Rodney dashed into the bathroom, and John heard the water running briefly before Rodney appeared again—brushing his teeth and attempting to put on his socks and shoes.

"Call ahead and tell them you forgot about Earth traffic. They'll believe it." He crawled out of bed, and pulled the footwear out of Rodney's hands, sinking to his knees and getting them on easily.

Rodney flashed him a foamy-white smile before ducking back into the bathroom, emerging a moment later and giving John a quick kiss on his way out the door. "I'll leave the extra key on the table and you have my new cell number, right?"

"Um, probably? They gave me a phone with a bunch of numbers programmed in. Is yours one of them?"

"Should be," he called from the kitchen—if the slamming cabinet doors were any indication. "Call if you get lost or you need me."

"Okay. See you tonight?" John wandered out behind him, still feeling a bit bemused and half-asleep.

"Yeah, tonight," Rodney said as he tried to shove his arms through his jacket sleeves, one of them turned inside-out from last night's undressing. He gave up, tucking it under his arm as he rushed out the door.

John ran a hand through his hair. "Huh. Well, that went well."

He looked around, and decided he might as well get dressed. He found the clothes he had tossed in the washer the night before still there, so he threw them in the dryer then wandered into the guest room. He was gratified to see they had delivered his duffle, so he pulled out a clean set of the civvies everyone arrived to the mountain in, quickly getting dressed.

He wandered back out and took in the chaos all over the house from their play last night. He couldn’t help the self-satisfied smirk. Getting Rodney off was just fun.

Since he didn’t actually know if the cleaning lady came by every day or not, or if she was connected to the mountain at all, John made the guest bed looked lived in, straightened up the cushions on the love seat, and hid the ties and lube in Rodney’s bedside table.

Glancing at his watch, he figured he should get going. He didn’t have any scheduled briefings today, but General O’Neill had indicated he wanted to talk.

Peachy.

As he drove back, following the route Rodney had taken him last night in reverse, he reflected that Colonel Caldwell seemed like a nice enough guy. Hell, he had saved John’s life there at the end by showing up just in time. But he couldn’t help but resent the fact that they wanted to put him in charge of Atlantis. He hadn’t spent the last year living, breathing, dying with these people. He didn’t know what it was like.

Once he was back at Cheyenne, he got changed into his uniform again and went looking for the General’s office. He finally found it after getting lost five times, getting a sympathetic fellow AF officer to show him the way.

He pulled himself to Attention, carefully blanking out his expression before he stepped inside. “Sir. You said you wanted to see me today, sir?”

"Sheppard, see you made it," O'Neill said with a smirk, his hand gesturing to the guest chair. "Pull up a seat. You need coffee?"

"Sorry, sir. I kinda forgot I can't just walk down the hall to get to work. And yes, please, coffee would be great." He sat down carefully in the guest chair, wary about what this man wanted from him. O'Neill was the reason he had gone to Atlantis in the first place, and now he was one of the ones who could prevent him from going back.

After sending the Airman to get two coffees, O'Neill turned his attention to John, looking him over carefully. "Before we get into the nitty-gritty, I wanted to say that I think you've done a good job on Atlantis."

Blinking, John tried to catch up. So far all he had heard from any officers was what a shitty job he had done, and how every decision he had made was the wrong one. "Sir?"

"I've read all the reports and listened to the hot air most of the Generals have been spewing, but it all comes down to results sometimes. You worked with what you had—which wasn't much—and managed to keep most of your team safe and secure. That I call a good job."

"Thank you, sir. I did my best." John had read the reports about O'Neill once he'd taken command of Atlantis, looking back through old mission reports to get himself up to speed on some of the things he could expect. He was the first commanding officer John had ever wanted to impress, so this was... a bit gratifying.

"Unfortunately, I’m just one voice among many," O'Neill continued a moment later, pausing when there was a knock on the door, and an Airman entering with a coffee carafe and two mugs. "Thanks, Walter."

The vague hope that had built up by O'Neill's praise shattered. He had been called here to be reassigned. Shit. He hid his reaction by taking a sip of coffee, using the time to firmly reaffix his blank mask of indifference.

"Landry will treat you fairly. I know he's a bit of a tight ass, but he's a good man," O'Neill said, sipping at his own coffee. "I wish I could give you good news, but unfortunately your future is not in my or Landry's hands. Right now, your future—and the future of the Atlantis expedition—is in the hands of the bureaucrats. If only someone could save us from them."

"I understand, sir." Swallowing another sip of coffee, John tried to find a way to say this without making himself look like an idiot. "Is there...anything I can do to tip the scales in my favor, sir? Atlantis isn't just another military outpost. Until a week and a half ago, we didn't really think we would ever see Earth again. It's a close community, and it needs someone who understands the way the divisions work together."

"Exactly," O'Neill said, leaning back in his chair. "I know your type, Sheppard and you want to do something, but honestly, there's nothing much to do. I’m going back to Washington to see if I can get them to lean in the right direction. I still have the ear of the President, so that helps." He paused again. "Take your leave. Enjoy yourself. Worry about this later and remember you always have choices."

John deflated somewhat. "Choices, sir? From where I sit, I'm not really being given much of a choice at all." Okay, so he was starting to feel a little reckless. He had finally found a home, people he thought of as family, and they were slipping away.

"There's always choices, Major, and natural gene-carriers are hard to come by. Remember that."

John snorted. Great, so he wouldn't be sent back to Atlantis, but they would keep him on tap for his gene. That would make retiring hard if it came to that. God, he never thought he'd think this, but life had been simpler when they didn't have contact with Earth. "Any ideas of when they'll have my new assignment ready, sir?"

"You should have your orders when you get back," O'Neill said with a frown. "I wish I could give you more, but that's all I know."

John nodded. "I understand." He hesitated briefly. "Permission to speak freely, sir?"

O'Neill nodded and waved his hand. "Knock yourself out."

"Atlantis is my home, sir. If I'm not sent back as military commander, I'd like to request to be sent back in whatever capacity I'm allowed, if possible."

The General nodded. "I expected as much. Seems to be the same from all the Atlantis senior staff."

"We're more than just colleagues, sir, and the people of Atlantis are more than just grunts. My soldiers, the science team, the medical staff—we're a community. I would be surprised if more than a small handful of people requested transfers out."

O'Neill nodded. "Anything else?"

Taking that as a hint, John rose, snapping off a salute. "No, sir."

"Go somewhere fun, Sheppard. You deserve it."

"I plan to, sir. Thank you."

"Good. Consider yourself free to go and enjoy yourself," O'Neill said, standing and offering his hand. "See you in two and a half weeks."

John shook his hand, then snapped another salute. "Yes, sir. I'll see you then." Turning John made his way back out, running into the Airman who had helped him find O'Neill's office. "Ah, excuse me, but is there a computer anywhere I can use?"

"What do you need, sir?"

"I need to book a round-trip flight to Philadelphia for a day or so."

"Military business?"

"I need to visit the family of a soldier who's MIA."

"That would be a yes," the airman said, gesturing for Sheppard to follow him. They paused at the door to the main briefing room and he pointed to a desk where the same man that had brought coffee into O'Neill was sitting. "Sergeant Harriman can help you with that. Just tell him what you need and he'll arrange everything."

John blinked. "Ah, that's not necessary. I don't want to make work for anyone."

"Trust me, he won't mind."

John raised an eyebrow, but walked into the room. "Sergeant Harriman?"

The other man glanced up and then rose to his feet, standing at attention. "Major Sheppard, how can I help you? I thought you were heading out on leave."

"At ease. I was told you might be able to help me. I want to visit the family of one of my officers who went MIA after the siege of Atlantis. I need to book a round-trip ticket out to Philadelphia."

"Lieutenant Ford's family, sir?" he said, sitting back down, his hands already flying over the keyboard.

Blinking again, John nodded. "Yes, actually. How did you know that?"

He shrugged, pulling up a few screens. "You're looking to speak with his cousin, Lara. I'll print out all the address and contact information for you." A few keystrokes later and the printer nearby started to warm up. "And we have a military flight heading out tomorrow afternoon. I can put you on it if you want. You're going to have to go on a civilian transport on the way home, however—unless you want to wait three days."

"Um, no. That's fine." John felt like someone had smacked him. Other than a vague knowledge that Ford's family lived in Philly, John hadn't planned too much more. To have this efficient Airman just take over and give him everything he needed was a little disconcerting. "I'd like to come back the next day if I could."

Sergeant Harriman nodded and a few more screens popped up. "I can get you on a morning flight if you want—it's pretty full—or one in the early afternoon which should have you back here in time for dinner, a late dinner. Your choice."

"Either is fine."

"You're choice. It is your leave, sir."

"This isn't really a pleasure trip. Morning then. I'd like to get back here."

He nodded again, already entering information. "You have access to a computer? I'll send the itinerary to your email address."

"Yeah. I'm staying with McKay, and I swear he owns ten of them. One of them is bound to be networked with the SGC, so you can use my base address."

"Good," he nodded. "I've put in a request for an upgrade for the return flight. If you show your military ID at check-in, you might be able to get a better seat. Depends on availability."

"I'll do that. Thanks a lot. I don't think I could have done all that nearly as fast."

"Eh, this is easy. Try running a base some days," he said with a smirk. "Anything else, sir?"

With a short laugh, John nodded. "Tell me about it. I don't think I'm as good as you are though. Doesn't help that I don't like paperwork. I think I need to find your clone and bring them to Atlantis." John stopped short, realizing that might not be his decision. He shook himself a bit. "Thanks again. And if it wouldn't be too much trouble, could you point me in the right direction to get out of here? I haven't yet managed to get anywhere without getting lost in this base."

"I’m going your way, sir. I'll show you."

John grinned. "Is there anything you don't do?"

"When I find out, I'll let you know," Harriman said with a smile. "If you don't mind me asking, sir, what was Atlantis like?"

Since this Sergeant had been so helpful, John didn't give the standard, flippant answer he had been handing out. Like with SG1, he wanted to try and give an honest response. "It's hard to describe. She's beautiful, soaring towers, sitting in the middle of the ocean. Her tech is more advanced than anything we've ever seen. The outpost in Antarctica is just a taste of what the Ancients were capable of. Most of the city is controlled with mental commands tied to the ATA gene, so I can always feel her, humming in the back of my head. Actually, it's too quiet here. I've gotten so used to that buzz, it's hard to focus without it there anymore."

"That sounds amazing, sir," Harriman said, gesturing for John to step out of the elevator first. "I've only seen the reports and a few pictures from the Antarctic outpost, so it's hard to imagine something like you're describing. You must be grateful that you were able to come home for a visit. Being trapped in another galaxy with no way home seems almost unbearable sometimes."

"You know, I always thought I would be anxious to get back to Earth. But now that I'm here... I find I'm homesick for Atlantis. For one thing, I keep almost running into doors when they don't open just because I think at them. And I stood in the shower for a good five minutes the first night back trying to figure out why the water wasn't starting." He gave the other man a wry grin.

He chuckled as they paused outside of the men's locker rooms. "I can imagine it's quite an adjustment. Welcome back to Earth, Major, and enjoy your leave. If you need anything else—anything at all—please don't hesitate to contact me. I'll make sure it gets done. What you and your team have done…" He shook his head, disbelief on his face. "…unimaginable, I guess is the word."

"Thanks again. I guess it doesn't seem like much. We were more focused on surviving than anything else." John grinned. "And actually, I was thinking about dragging McKay out to Vegas for week, get him out of your hair for a few days. Since that one's not military, any suggestions on where to go to book a decent room, and maybe a few shows? I'm going to make him relax if it kills us both."

"If you can do that, I think you'll win the favor of everyone on this base," Harriman said with a tired sigh. "I'll send you some information this afternoon. I have a few contacts there. Will that be suitable, sir?"

"I think I may be in your debt for life, thank you."

"My pleasure, sir. It's the least I can do. You'll have everything you need in your email before the end of the day." He gestured to the door of the locker room. "This is your stop, sir. When you leave, just head for the elevators at the end of the hall and head all the way up."

"I think even I can manage that." He ran a hand through his hair, already starting to plan ahead. "Thanks again."

"Not a problem, Major. Enjoy your leave," he said, already moving off, papers and clipboard in hand.

John watched him go, shaking his head. If they could get someone like that on Atlantis… Hell, just finding someone who didn't hate paperwork as much as he did would be a plus.

Assuming, of course, that he was sent back.

Forcing his brain away from that, John decided to just let it be for now. He had done all he could, and as O'Neill had said, it was in the hands of politicians now. He would put his energy towards Rodney and making the man relax instead of brooding.

Getting changed back into his civvies, he was able to find the elevator Harriman had pointed out, and get back to his car with minimal fuss. He had marked Rodney's apartment in the on-board GPS before he left that morning, so he felt free to drive around a bit. He found some country roads without a lot of traffic and pushed the compact car up to ninety—the highest he could get it—a few times, then just made his way back to the more populated areas and drove around.

When he spotted a little gourmet grocery store, he got an idea. He had never cooked a real meal for Rodney before. He didn't even think his geek knew John could cook. It wasn't something he advertised. Popping in, he considered his options. Spaghetti and meatballs was pretty easy to make ahead of time, and re-heat when Rodney actually came home. Picking up what he needed—along with a few candles, since why not?—and drove back to the apartment.

Pleased to see the cleaning lady actually had come by, he lost himself for a few hours in the cooking. He had forgotten how much he enjoyed it. Since he had the time, he even made the noodles from scratch. He would boil them when Rodney got home, just before serving.

He had just finished cleaning up the pots and pans, and was considering a shower to wash off the flour he had managed to get all over himself, when there was a knock at the door. Curious, he padded over—the shoes had come off as soon as he'd gotten home—and was surprised to find Carson Beckett standing there.

"John," Carson said, glancing past him into the apartment. "Hope you donna mind me dropping in."

"Um, no. Come on in. Rodney's not back yet—I doubt I'll see him for a few hours yet." Stepping aside to let the doctor in, he looked down at himself. "Sorry about the mess. I decided to occupy myself with cooking."

"I see that," Carson said chuckling as he stepped inside, his eyes sweeping around the entranceway and living room. "It certainly looks a mite bit neater than when I was here last."

Leading the way back to the kitchen, John pulled out a Coke and offered one to Carson. "I had never been here before. I didn't even know he had an apartment here until he offered to let me stay with him."

"Aye. He's worked for the SGC for years in various locations, but he's kept this place. It's close to the base, not too expensive, and it's comfortable," Beckett said, unscrewing the top of the soda bottle. "Thanks for this and I really didn't intend on interrupting your evening. I actually thought Rodney would be back by now."

"You aren't interrupting anything. I was actually just finishing up and trying to figure out what to do next to occupy myself. This is Rodney we're talking about, so I doubt I'll see him any time soon. So what's up?"

"Aye, that's Rodney, but I also know he's been trying to keep his days short and he was in early this morning. It doesn't matter. I was actually getting ready to head to the airport—I'm going to visit my mum—so I wanted to stop and see you before I did. I'll be gone for a week and a half and then I have to get back here and sort files and such."

John slid onto a stool and ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah, I'm on leave for the next two and a half weeks. I'll find out when I get back whether or not I'm returning to Atlantis. Someone else will be deciding on new military personnel."

"Aye. I'd heard the rumblings—and not from Rodney—although he's making one mite of a stink about it from what I can tell." Carson shook his head. "I would'na want to be on his bad side that's for certain."

Sighing, John shook his head again. "I told him just to let it lie. General O'Neill called me in this morning, and made it clear that at this point, it's in the hands of the politicians. It doesn't help that not many people other than you guys want me to return at all, much less as military commander."

"And Rodney needs to bully his way through everything, you should know that by now. Last I heard, he'd had a very loud discussion with the General—this morning sometime—enumerating the pros and cons of your return to Atlantis."

Groaning, John put his head on the counter. "Oh, god. Which General?"

"O'Neill. I think Landry was on his list as well as the ones that had been in from Washington."

"Oh my, God. Forget Atlantis, I'm not going to have a career anymore."

"You might be surprised at the weight Rodney can throw around," Carson said with a tired smile. "They do listen to him—and for good reason. They just don't…like to."

With a sigh, John hung his head again. "Well, there's not much I can do about it now. So, Scotland?"

"Aye, Scotland. It's been a long time since I've seen my mum. I'm looking forward to the trip."

"That's one of the few countries I haven't seen yet. Some day you'll have to show me around." John remembered Rodney's find from earlier. He jumped off the chair and went to go find it. "Oh, hey, I have a going away present for you too."

"I'd love to if we had some more time—actually, why don't you and Rodney come with?" Carson said, watching John pad over to where he'd hung his jacket.

"If you had gotten to me earlier, I'd say sure. I started making plans to go to Vegas, though. Can you believe McKay has never been, at least not for more than a conference? And we both know he didn't leave the convention center." He found the ring and brought it over, sliding it across the table to Carson.

"Aye, that sounds like Rodney. And what is…" His eyes got wide and he looked up at John. "Is this what I think it is?"

"Apparently they found a cache of doo-dads on one of the planets in this galaxy, and Rodney was identifying what everything was. He saw that and snagged it for you." John couldn't help the wide grin he got at Carson's expression.

"Oh my…ah…thank you," he said after a moment, his cheeks a bright red.

"It's pretty self-explanatory, but you should know that whoever puts it on and activates it is the only one who can take it off again, and the only one who can control the settings. It doesn't bind to one user, though, so it's pretty versatile."

"I'll…thank you," he said, pocketing it and offering John a sincere—if embarrassed—smile.

Chuckling, John leaned back on the stool. "Enjoy. I know I have."

"Oh…I did not need to know that, lad," he said glancing away again. "What is it with you and Rodney being so…forthcoming with information? I appreciate your trust, but…"

Letting his amusement turn into a full laugh, John shrugged. "You brought it on yourself when you decided to be our yenta. And actually, I've never used it on myself, so I can't speak to that."

"Oh dear…and thank you for that visual," Carson said with a horrified smile.

With a wicked smile, John couldn't help but tease. "Which one of us were you picturing naked?"

"Can we just change the subject?" Carson asked, his voice strangled.

Laughing again, John let it drop. "When does your flight leave?"

"Eight-something, I think. I have the ticket somewhere."

"Need a ride to the airport?"

"I wouldn't want to put you out—"

John rolled his eyes. "Do I look like you would be putting me out? Just let me hop in the shower and change clothes."

"John, it's like an hour drive one way. One of the airmen was going to drive me—" Carson said as John moved toward the spare bedroom where his clothes were still living.

"And I said I don't mind. Rodney won't be home until late I'm sure, and this way I'm not just sitting around worrying. Just let me shower really quick." He came back out with a fresh set of clothes heading for the master bedroom—it had a bigger shower.

"I'll step out and let the Airman know then," Carson said.

"Sounds good. Feel free to help yourself to anything in the fridge or pantry."

It didn't take him long to get cleaned up, and he wandered back out, still running his fingers through his hair to try and put it into some semblance of order before it dried. "Carson?"

"In here," Carson called, his voice coming from the living room.

John walked in, blushing a little when he saw that Carson was sitting where he had had Rodney naked last night. He decided it probably wouldn't be prudent to point that out. "Anything good on?"

"Not much. I canna believe how many channels is on this bloody thing," he commented, glancing up with a smile. He tossed something at John who caught it automatically, the fabric unrolling in his fingers. "It was in the seat cushions."

The faint blush went five-alarm as John dropped down next to him, fingering the tie in his hands. "Uh, yeah. I was flipping last night, but with all those channels, can you believe there still wasn't anything better on than re-runs of Iron Chef?"

"I can imagine," Carson said chuckling. "You need to clean up a little better, John."

"I thought I did before I left this morning." He ducked his head, surprised his face could get any redder.

"I'm just tryin' to help you here. A number of people know where Rodney lives and this complex has Cheyenne Mountain employees. Just be careful, please."

"I'll be more thorough next time. How obvious was it?"

"It was between the couch cushions and I only noticed when I sat down, but I thought you should know."

"Thanks. I'll try to be more careful. Rodney was out of here like a hurricane this morning—running late—so I just did a cursory clean-up."

"Aye, I saw him on his way in—Starbucks cup in hand." Carson chuckled.

John raised his eyebrow. "He went out of here screaming about needing to be there in ten minutes but it was a forty-five minute drive, and he managed to stop at Starbucks?"

"Can you actually picture him driving without coffee?"

With a dramatic shudder, John shook his head. "God help us all if he does. At least the jumpers can read his mind."

"And that might not be a good thing either," Carson said with a smile. "We should get going, I imagine. I parked my suitcase next to the door."

Pushing up, John went for his shoes, pulling on his favorite pair of running sneakers. He ran through the kitchen and made sure the burners were off, putting the sauce in the fridge, covering the noodles with a damp paper towel. He found a pad of paper in a drawer and jotted off a quick note to Rodney, on the off chance his lover made it home before him. "All right, I think I'm set."

Carson nodded, picking up his suitcase and glancing around the apartment. "Aye, whenever you're ready."

The trip out to the airport was uneventful. They chatted about easy things, what they wanted to do on leave, neither one mentioning Atlantis or John's unsure status. When they arrived at the terminal, they shook hands firmly, the doctor pulling John in for a hug, and then John was back on the road again.

He didn't realize how fast he was going until he noticed flashing lights in his rear-view. Glancing down, he saw the speedometer was at the ninety mark. Shit.

He pulled over, taking a deep breath and rolling down his window as the officer came over.

"License and registration please."

"Yes, sir." John pulled out his military ID and the information the SGC had given him when he had taken the car. He hoped there was a registration in there somewhere.

The officer flipped through the documents, his eyebrow rising. "You seem to have been in quite of a hurry, Major…John Sheppard."

John gave him an easy smile. "I've been stationed somewhere without cars for a while—I'm here on leave. I guess I forgot to pay attention to my speed. Sorry about that."

"Air Force? You a pilot?"

"I am. You fly at all?"

"No, my son is thinking about joining up though."

"If he hasn't already, tell him to go through the Academy first, that way he can join as an officer. If he wants to fly, the best thing he can do for himself is get an advanced degree in aeronautics or mathematics. They don't let you fly the good stuff unless you prove you're smart." John's laidback, 'you don't want to give me a ticket' smile had morphed into something more genuine. He loved talking about flying. "What does he want to fly? Jets, helicopters?"

"Right now, he's not too picky. He's still young, so that may change." He handed John back his paperwork. "I'd recommend keeping an eye on your speed, Major. There's enough accidents on these roads as is and I don't want to be scraping your body off the pavement."

"Tell him the biggest rush he will ever get is going Mach 5 in one of the fighters, whatever model is in use when he goes into active service. It's a hard life sometimes, but being able to touch the clouds is worth it. And yeah, I'll make an effort to watch the speed—I didn't survive battle to end up road kill."

"Have a good day, Major," the officer said, already heading for his patrol car.

"You, too!" John called out, then carefully stowed his paperwork. He took a moment to put his head on the steering wheel and call himself a few stupid names, before he put the car back in drive and made it the rest of the way home.

When he got in, it was dark in the apartment—so Rodney still wasn't home. He glanced at the clock and shrugged—1800 was actually still early for him. John flopped onto the couch and flipped channels for a while.

He didn't realize he had fallen asleep until someone was shaking his shoulder.

"John?" Rodney sounded exhausted.

"Hey. You're home. What time is it?"

"Almost ten, I think. I didn't even look," he said, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck.

"Did you eat dinner?"

"I…ah…no, the PowerBar at four probably doesn't count."

"I cooked. Lemme heat it up." John sat up and brushed a kiss across Rodney's lips. "Welcome home."

"You cooked?" Rodney asked with a raised eyebrow as he dropped heavily onto the couch, his eyes closing as his head hit the back.

"Yeah. I figured you would be late, so I made spaghetti and meatballs. That always tastes better re-heated anyway. Give me ten minutes to get it all hot again and boil the pasta."

"I'm not much of a host," Rodney said after a moment. "Sorry about that."

"What do you mean? I was sent on leave late morning, so I had the time. I took Carson out to the airport, got pulled over for speeding on the way back. Cooking was a nice break. How was your day? Make any progress educating the SGC on Ancient technology."

"They're all idiots, the lot of them," he grumbled, the first part of John's comment passing him right by.

It didn't take him long to heat everything up—one of the benefits of home-made pasta was that it only took a few minutes to boil. Shrugging, he lit a candle and put two plates on the table. He had discovered a bottle of wine and a few glasses when he had poked around the kitchen, so he poured them each a half-glass. "Come eat."

When Rodney didn't answer, John sighed and walked into the living room, finding him already asleep on the couch.

Smiling, he thought about getting him up and to bed, but if Rodney hadn't eaten anything, he would pay for it later. Kneeling, John ran his hands up and down his lover's legs. "Hey. Come on, wake up. Come eat, and I found some wine. Then we'll put you to bed, okay? We need to get something in you before you pass out."

"Just let me sleep."

"No, you need to eat first. Come on." John stood and pulled Rodney to his feet. "Get at least a few bites down before you go to bed so you don't wake up woozy."

"So I don't wake up dead or something, eh?" Rodney asked with a sigh, letting John lead him to the kitchen, his eyes widening at the spread John had prepared. "Wow…this is fancy."

"Nah. Just spaghetti. I was bored this afternoon, and you have a pretty well-stocked kitchen."

"I'm…" Rodney glanced at the food and then back at John. "You actually cooked for me."

John blushed, but sat down opposite Rodney. "I forget how much I enjoy cooking sometimes. My Grandmother taught me when I was a kid."

"This is…wow," Rodney said, staring at the pasta, a shocked and pleased smile on his face.

To cover his embarrassment, John took a bite. He had flavored the pasta with a bit of oregano, and he was pleased with how it mixed with the sauce. It had been years since he had made anything like this, so he was a little proud at how it came out.

Rodney dug in a moment later, making happy noises with every bite. "Oh, god, this is amazing."

"It's nothing special," John murmured. It was just pasta. Some day when he knew he had the time and when Rodney would be home, he would cook him a real meal.

"I know pasta and this is amazing. Pasta is one of the few foods I know won't kill me," Rodney said around a mouthful of meatball. "And the meatballs…I never cook for myself really. Never have the time."

"I like to cook. It's relaxing in a way. I'll have to cook you some of the fancier stuff some time. But growing up, whenever I would visit my Grandmother, there was no pre-packaged anything. She taught me to make my own noodles, sauce, chicken, steak—everything. We used to spend hours in the kitchen, and every summer she would put together a cookbook of everything we had made while I was there for me to take home."

"You were a good student," Rodney said, taking a sip of his wine and smiling across the table. He still looked tired, but not as badly as when he'd walked in the door.

John gave him a shy smile. "I've never actually cooked for anyone except myself before. My ex didn't even know I knew how to cook. She assumed I would suck at it and banned me from the kitchen, and I never bothered to correct her."

"Her loss is my gain. And you can cook for me anytime you want. Hell, if they boot you out of the Air Force, you can stay home and cook for me. I make enough to support us both."

John raised an eyebrow. "I'll keep that in mind. I think I'd probably start to get antsy being ground-bound. But I will cook for you whenever I can."

Rodney sucked in a string of spaghetti, some of the sauce dotting his lips.

John stood and leaned over the table—he was glad it was a pretty small table—licking the drops away. "You had a spot."

"Did I now?" The corner of mouth crept up in a crooked smile.

John nodded, keeping his expression serious. "You did."

Rodney leaned forward, closing the distance once again, his lips meeting John's in a slow and lazy kiss.

When they broke, John swiped his tongue across Rodney's lips a last time before he sat back down. "There's more in there if you want it. Pasta is one of those things you can't make in small quantities."

"Maybe later."

"I'll freeze some of it for you. Which reminds me, I won't be here tomorrow night. I'm flying to Philly to see Ford's family. Walter Harriman has got to be the most efficient man I've ever met. He knew where I needed to go before I did. I'll need to borrow one of your computers to check my email and print all the info. I fly out in the afternoon, and I come back the next morning."

Rodney's face dropped, but he nodded, focusing on the remains of his dinner. "I figured you were going to visit them. I just didn't think it would be this soon."

"I actually didn't know it would be this soon either. I asked about a computer at the SGC, and the next thing I knew I had a flight booked and directions on how to find Ford's cousin, Lara. I'll only be gone the night, though. Then I plan to book us a vacation to Vegas, and we aren't going to think about anything work-related for at least a week."

"You still want to go to Vegas, eh?"

"Unless you have a better idea."

"We could stay here."

"You'll work if we stay here." Seeing that Rodney was done, John stood and started clearing the table. "I want your undivided attention."

"I don't have to work if we stay here," Rodney protested, but rose, helping John with the dishes and packaging up the remains of dinner.

"But you will. I know you, Rodney. You won't be able to help yourself. I love it when you get excited over science—you're actually pretty cute when you do—but I don't want you thinking about anything except me and what we're doing for a few days. Besides, it'll be fun."

"If the smoke doesn't kill me first. Or the food. Or—"

John cut him off with a kiss. "Do you really think I'll let anything happen to you? I was thinking we could stay at the Venetian, take in a few shows, go to a few clubs. It will be fun. Trust me."

"Me in a club? Are you sure you didn't hit your head or something this afternoon?"

"Trust me. You'll have fun. I know some places."

Rodney scowled at him, but didn't argue anymore, storing the leftovers in the fridge. Grabbing the bottle of wine from the table, he poured himself a new glass. "If you want to finish up here, I'll get a laptop set up for you."

"Okay. I'm almost done. And if you can get it set up, I'll print it all out in the morning."

"It won't take me long," Rodney said, already walking out of the kitchen, wine glass and bottle in hand.

John thought about taking the bottle from him—since he knew Rodney's tolerance was as shot to hell as his own—but he figured the man could use the good night's sleep it would give him. He quickly finished the dishes, drying everything and putting it away. He wandered out to the living room to find Rodney sitting at a small desk tucked into the corner. He draped himself over Rodney's shoulders from behind. "How's it going?"

"Fine," Rodney replied absently. "I'm almost done."

"Take your time." Since it was right there, John helped himself to the soft skin on Rodney's neck, nuzzling at it, inhaling the unique scent, licking the sensitive spot behind the ear.

His lover shivered, but his fingers continued to move across the keyboard. He reached for his wine glass, taking a sip, putting it next to the bottle—which looked like it had only a glass or so left.

With a last kiss and a quick swipe of his tongue along Rodney's ear, John stood up, grabbing both the glass and the bottle and walking back to the kitchen with them.

"Hey, I wasn't done with that!"

"You've had the better part of the bottle. It will still be here tomorrow."

"But I don't want it tomorrow," Rodney protested.

Raising an eyebrow, John lifted the cup to his lips and drained it. "Oh look, all gone."

"Oh, come on, Sheppard," Rodney said, scowling from where he stood in the kitchen doorway, his arms over this chest.

John corked the rest of the bottle, then turned, grabbing at the counter as the room continued to spin long after it should. Okay, maybe that hadn't been such a good idea. "I can't come on command. That's you, remember."

"Funny, very funny. And are you drunk?"

John blinked. "Um, yes? I don't think I should have had that glass so fast."

Rodney laughed, turning back to the living room, his steps steady. "Not such a good idea, was it?"

"No, it really wasn't." John stood there for a minute. "Rodney?"

"Yes, John?"

"I think I might need help."

"You should have thought of that before you stole my wine."

Huffing, John inched his way forward, hand on the counter. This was why he didn't drink a lot of wine—it didn't give him a nice buzz like hard liquors did, it just made him really dizzy. At one point he tried closing his eyes, but that made him nauseous, so he opened them again. When he got to the end of his convenient hand-hold, he stopped again. "You really aren't going to help me?"

Rodney appeared a moment later, rolling his eyes. "This I never expected."

"I can't do more than a glass of wine, or I get dizzy. I sorta forgot about that."

"I'll keep that in mind," Rodney said with a sigh as he moved forward, wrapping his arm around John. "Where to?"

John leaned heavily on his lover, pressing messy kisses to everything he could reach. "Wherever you want to take me, baby." He smothered a giggle. God, he hated himself when he was like this, but he couldn't stop it.

"No wonder you molested me when you were drunk. It's what you do!" Rodney said, shaking his head as he headed toward the bedroom.

"Only you. You're the only one I want."

Rodney managed to get him into the bedroom and onto the bed, nearly toppling over with John when Sheppard didn't let go. "God, John…stop. I need to finish with the laptop."

"Want you here with me."

"In a little bit when you're not so drunk."

"But I'm easy when I'm drunk. You could take advantage of me."

"You're easy, John," Rodney said with a tired smile as he pulled off John's jeans and shirt, leaving him in his boxers. "I'll be back in a bit."

John watched the ceiling swirl around him. He got so caught up in how interesting it was, that he didn't immediately register when Rodney came back.

"The laptop's set up and ready for you. I printed your itinerary and left it on top. You had some other emails from Walter, but I didn't look. I'd recommend you wait until morning before you do anything on the Internet since you'd probably regret it later on."

"Don't need to download porn when I have my own sex god in residence." John turned his head and gave Rodney a goofy grin.

Rolling his eyes, Rodney stripped down to his skin and walked into the bathroom. John heard the faucet running and some splashing as McKay did a quick clean-up before bed. He appeared a few minutes later and slid into the bed, pressing a chaste mint-flavored kiss on John's lips. "Night."

John whimpered a little. He wanted Rodney to touch him. That was the other problem with alcohol in general—it tended to make him horny. He tried to push himself up to get to Rodney but the still-spinning room made him flop back down. He decided to go for pathetic and whimpered again, hoping Rodney would take pity.

"Do you want aspirin or something?"

"Touch me."

"John, I'm tired. It's been a long day."

"I know. I just..." He didn't want to admit that all the things he was pointedly not thinking about were making him feel a bit more insecure than usual. With a sigh, he scooted until he found Rodney, and managed to get himself draped over his lover without too much fuss. "Need to touch you."

Rodney wrapped his arms around him and sighed quietly. "Better?"

Taking deep breaths full of Rodney-smell, John nodded his head against the fuzzy chest his head was resting on. "Yes. G'night."

"Night, John," Rodney whispered and John felt a light kiss pressed to the top of his head.

"Night." John whispered, closing his eyes. And he promptly fell asleep.

***

It felt nice to wake up in his own bed, Rodney thought as he lazily raised an eyelid, shifting slightly only to feel John's arms tighten around him.

With how close he was sleeping, they might as well be in a twin bed.

He really wasn't looking forward to today. One, John was leaving to go to Philadelphia and he was staying overnight. Two, with all the feathers he ruffled yesterday, he wasn't really sure what to expect when he walked back in the door.

But they still needed him to explain everything. At the rate things were going, it would take him years.

Even though it had been a long day yesterday, McKay had to admit that he'd gotten a lot done. Between the briefings and lectures, a few of the scientists might have a handful of brain cells that might actually understand what he was explaining.

And then there were the papers that had been couriered in for him. It always paid to have a good lawyer that didn't ask questions, Rodney realized. That had been one of the first calls he'd made, to draw up some new papers. A year in another galaxy made you re-evaluate things. He'd read them through and signed them—making the courier wait. The only thing Rodney hoped was that it wasn't too much, too soon. He thought this was right, but before he second-guessed—and third, and fourth, and fifth-guessed is more like the truth—he'd signed off on them, requesting copies to be mailed to his apartment and to Elizabeth Weir at the Cheyenne Mountain.

Now, he just had to tell John. But that could wait until the timing was right.

Sighing, he turned his head to glance at the clock noting that he actually had time this morning. He didn't have to be in until noon so he actually had the luxury of laying bed for a little while longer, although he did need to move. He tried to shift again and felt John stir this time.

"Mmph?"

"Sorry. My arm is numb."

"Mmph 'kay." John moved a little, letting Rodney free his arm, but not letting him move any further.

He shook it a little, wincing as pins and needles ran up and down the limb. Gah. He hated this.

As it faded, he looked down to see amused hazel eyes watching him.

"Yes?"

"Hi."

"Comfy?"

"Mmm hmmm. You?"

"Well, I have you pinning me to the bed for no apparent reason."

"There's a reason."

"Do you intend on sharing it with the class?"

John's eyes danced. "It's comfy."

Rodney sighed. "Is this how you're going to be the entire time we're on vacation?"

"Only if you get me drunk the night before and then put me to bed with no sex."

"And whose fault was that?"

"You could make it up to me. I'm officially on leave now..."

"And I have to go to work."

"When do you need to be there? And did you notice what time my flight is, and where I'm supposed to be?"

"Noon and no, I didn't look. Walter had it flagged and prioritized so I printed it."

"Kay. I know I'm on military transport out, and a civvie flight home, so I'll have to figure out what to do with the car."

"That would be a good idea."

John sat up enough to start tracing circles around one of Rodney's nipples, although he stayed away from actually touching it. "My return flight gets in early. Any requests for dinner? I'll stop and pick stuff up on the way back."

"No," Rodney said, shifting a little under John's touch. "Nothing specific."

"Lemme go check so I know what time I need to be at the airport. Don't move."

"If you're getting up, so am I."

"I'm coming right back."

"And?"

"Neither of us is leaving the house until we have mind-blowing sex."

"Oh really?"

"Yep. It's a rule."

Rodney shifted on the bed, lifting his eyebrow. "A rule. Since when?"

"Since I decided I'm not going two days without tasting you."

"Uh huh," Rodney said with a smirk. Knowing he had some time he figured he might as well play, because well, he was really beginning to enjoy the whole bondage part of their relationship. "If you want me to stay in bed, you're going to have to do something about it. These vague promises aren't enough this morning."

John smirked right back. "A challenge eh?" He used his weight to keep Rodney pinned to the bed while he reached over to the nightstand, rummaging for a moment. He came back up with a handful of ties. He took one and wrapped it around Rodney's wrists, then used a second to secure him to the headboard.

Tugging at his wrists, Rodney couldn't help but feel the flutter in his stomach—part nerves, part excitement, part arousal. "So is this how's it going to be? You tie me to a bed and ravage me?"

"Something like that." John got him to flip over. "Up on your knees."

"Why?" Rodney asked, looking over his shoulder.

"Because I said so."

"I thought you were checking on your flight."

"On your knees, McKay. Now."

Rodney moved—slowly—pulling his legs under him so he could get up. Scooting forward a little, Rodney sat back on his heels, his arms pulled out in front of him.

John ran a hand along his back, then gently pushed him forward, so his head was resting on his forearms, ass in the air. He felt John moving around, tying something to his ankles. After a moment, John had him lift his head, and secured two more ties around his wrists. Tugging, he realized John had linked a few of them together to form chains, and had just tied him in such a way that he couldn't get out of this position until he was allowed out of it.

"What are you doing?"

He felt the bed dip. "Going to check my flight. I'll be right back, and now I know you'll be exactly where I left you."

"You're just going to leave me here?"

"I'll be right back." John's voice was fading as he walked down the hall.

"John! Get back here! You can't just….just do this and leave me. It's dangerous! Anything could happen." Okay. This was not what he'd had in mind. The wrist thing—yeah, that he expected. This, not so much.

He didn't know how long John had been gone—probably not more than a few minutes in reality, but he would later reflect that having a lover trained in stealth maneuvers had a few side benefits. Just when he was starting to feel a little exposed and uncomfortable, a finger was pushed inside him, all the way—and he hadn't even realized John was back.

"Oh god!" he yelped, jerking his head up and glancing over his shoulder at his lover's smirk.

"So, my flight leaves at 1100 from the base attached to Cheyenne. I figure I'll ride in with you, then I can get a taxi or something from the airport tomorrow when I get back." John hadn't moved his finger since he pushed it in, and in this position Rodney couldn't move around it.

"Would you just do something already?"

His plea was ignored. "Harriman is more efficient than I even gave him credit for—and I was already pretty impressed. I have an Airman standing by when I arrive to take me to Cousin Lara's house, and she's been notified that I'm coming. The same Airman will take me to the hotel they're putting me up at for the night, then drive me to the civilian airport in the morning. All I have to do is the hard part."

"Walter's good, but why the hell are we talking about him when you have you finger up my ass?" Rodney panted into the pillow, rocking a little to see if it might get John moving.

John's free hand smacked him lightly on the cheeks of his ass. "I didn't say you could move."

Rodney yelped. "You didn't tell me not to."

"Don't move."

"Then do something already."

The finger was withdrawn and he got another swat. "You're a very pushy bottom. It's sexy as hell, but all the same—pushy."

"Okay, that's not what I wanted you to do," Rodney complained. "And you have a problem with pushy?"

"I just said I thought it was sexy didn't I? That implies a certain amount of enjoyment out of it."

"I guess," Rodney shrugged as much as his bindings would allow. "So were you just going to sit there and stare or actually get to the good stuff?"

"You've been tense since we got back to Earth. I think I need to relax you a bit, and give you something to think about tonight while I'm gone."

"Well, tip number one: Relaxing while bound like a pretzel might not be the way to go."

John hummed slightly, and a finger was dragged all over Rodney's ass, along the crack, back out again. "You know, I've marked you almost everywhere else, but never here. A shame really. Such a beautiful ass—it needs a bit of decoration. I wouldn't want it to feel left out."

"Are you trying to wake the neighbors?"

He felt John shift, and then his ass was being licked, tracing the same path the finger had taken a moment ago.

Rodney instinctively shifted back into the contact almost immediately.

Only to be smacked again. "No moving." It was hummed into his cheeks, warm air over damp skin.

He yelped again and he felt John pull back a little.

"Don't move. Don't squirm." And then John was marking him—marking his ass. Biting and sucking and licking and…and…marking his ass!

Rodney panted, turning his face into the pillow and yelling at the sensation—pain and something else—and couldn't stay still. He shifted a little and John grabbed his legs, forcing him to stay in place while he continued working.

When John finally relented, pulled back, his cheek throbbed in time to his heartbeat—it was obviously a deep bruise. John blew on it, making Rodney shiver.

"Oh….God," Rodney finally said, catching his breath.

"Beautiful." John's tongue returned, licking along his crack a few times, then pushing into his body, loosening him up, getting him wet. Every now and then his lover pulled back to blow on the area.

And much to Rodney's surprise his body was starting to relax, his eyes closing as he concentrated on the feeing of John's tongue in his ass, rimming him, diving into him; his hands steadying him, caressing him; the throb of his ass cheek, the area warm and tender but so very real and tangible. He moaned and groaned as Sheppard played with him, teased him, loved him.

At some point the tongue was traded for a finger again, then two, curling deep inside him, but staying well clear of his prostate. John, usually talkative during sex, was quiet except for the panting he was doing.

And Rodney didn't want to break the silence. It was warm and held them close, the music of their lovemaking more than enough to sustain them, sending him deeper into sensation.

The fingers were pulled away, and the blunt tip of John's cock was there, pushing in slow and steady. He set a languid pace, pulling out fractions of inches, then pushing back in, interspersed with long strokes where he almost pulled completely free, all of it measured, careful. John's panting was getting heavier, and Rodney could feel the tremors in the arms holding his hips that let him know how hard John was working to keep this pace, keep himself in check.

Already reduced to low moans, his words leaving him a long time ago, Rodney simply felt, loving the slide of John's cock in his ass—filling him completely and departing only to return once again. His body trembled and shuddered and Rodney let it, allowing himself just to feel and react without censure.

"Come." The word was whispered, but it felt loud, breaking the silence.

Breath catching in his throat, he groaned long, the sound building from deep within as his cock obeyed. His body shuddered through his climax, fluid spilling between him and the bed, John's cock brushing against his prostate with every stroke, milking every drop out of him, riding him through the aftershocks, his body wanting to slump against the bed, but held in place by the bindings, John's hands, and his cock.

John thrust a few more times, a little harder, a little less controlled. And then there was heat deep inside him as he was filled. John stayed there for a few moments, breathing hard against Rodney's back where he had slumped. When he finally pulled free, he quickly untied the bindings, gently helping Rodney lie back down on the bed.

Rodney groaned as John straightened him out, moving him so they'd both avoid the wet spot.

Once they were both more or less clear, John gathered Rodney up in his arms, pulling him in close, pressing light kisses along his jaw.

Turning into Sheppard's body, Rodney pulled him tighter, his legs managing to tangle with John's so they were touching everywhere, as close as they could be.

John just held him, one hand making the soothing circles on his back that John tended to make whenever they were like this, close and pressed together. The kisses trailed off, so they were just breathing each other in, taking comfort in each other.

"Stay."

"I'm right here."

"Am I selfish?"

"No. Not selfish at all." John's lips brushed against his. "But I have to do this. I'll be gone less than twenty-four hours. Then we're going away, where we don't have to worry about officers or DADT or anyone caring about what we do. We'll make out in public, hold hands, and every night we'll get lost in each other."

"So we're going to Canada?"

A puff of air tickled his neck. "Vegas. Sin City. Really obnoxious hotel suite and buffets any time of the day or night."

"Suite?"

"Oh yeah. With a big bed. And a view."

Rodney chuckled lightly, but sobered quickly. "Let's just go."

"I can book us airfare for tomorrow night if you want. Meet me at the airport instead of me coming home first."

Sighing, Rodney shook his head. "I can't. I still have work to do."

"How soon can you get away? The SGC has done without us for a year, they can survive another week while we run away." John pushed his nose into the crook of Rodney's neck.

"I need a few more days yet," Rodney replied, arching a little before he moved his head, giving John more room.

"How many? I'll book it before I leave." He realized John was licking like he usually did before he marked—only this time it was in a place Rodney wouldn't be able to hide.

"John…I still have to work…in the SGC," Rodney warned, but John was already moving, sucking and biting the side of his neck. There was no shirt that would cover that mark.

"Mine. Let them wonder, let them all think it. They can't ask, and I don't have to tell them a damn thing."

"They're not going to ask you anything," Rodney panted.

"They won't ask you. They might hint at it, allude to it, but they won't ask, not outright." John kissed the new mark, mouthing at it a little. "Mine."

"You might be surprised," McKay grumbled, running his hands down John's back. "Is two enough to stake your claim?"

"Maybe. I haven't decided yet. I wish I had the cock ring with me. I'd put it on you, make you wear it while I'm gone so you don't forget who you belong to, who's coming home to you."

"But I gave it to you the other day," he said, pulling back a little.

"I mean ours. I gave that one to Carson when he stopped by yesterday."

"He stopped by?"

"I told you that last night." John had followed him, and was kissing his way along Rodney neck again. "I took him to the airport. He's going to Scotland to see his Mom. And I got pulled over on the way back. Ended up chatting with the officer about the Air Force. He has a son thinking of joining."

"Wait a minute," Rodney said, trying to move, but John wasn't letting him. "You took Carson to Denver airport and then you got pulled over?"

"Mmm hmm. Was going ninety. Didn't get a ticket though. I was kinda surprised by that."

"Are you insane? You could have crashed! And then what? I'd be a widow."

John looked up at that, his eyes unreadable. "We aren't technically married."

"Fine. But that still leaves me alone," Rodney said, finally managing to shove John off as he sat up, part of his stomach dropping. God…the papers. He'd definitely jumped the gun there. Pushing that to the back of his mind as he moved to swing his legs off the bed. Work. He had work to do.

"Hey." John followed him, getting his arms around Rodney and pulling him tight back against his chest. "I didn't realize I was going so fast. After I was let go, I didn't break the speed limit. Well, okay I was ten over, but that's expected. I'm not going anywhere, Rodney. I'm not leaving you alone."

The words he said now were right—even had the right tone. But… Rodney sighed. There was always a catch.

"Yeah, sure. This isn't the first and it won't be the last." He still remembered the words John had said just before he'd gone up in the jumper on a mission he knew only had a one way ticket.

John rested his chin on Rodney's shoulder. "I'm only going to be gone what, twenty hours, total? Not even a fully day. And then we're going away, together, to spend a week in sated bliss."

"I should get ready for work."

"Don't. Please. I can't leave if you're pissed at me, and I need to do this, Rodney. I lost Ford. It was my fault, I should have been watching him closer. I lost him, and this might be my last chance to talk to his family as anything more than his old war buddy."

Rodney closed his eyes, taking a breath. "I know. I know you have to go. I don't have a problem with that. Right now I need to start getting ready for work."

John's arms tightened around him, and lips were pushed against him. "Tell me what you're thinking. I'm not good at guessing, Rodney. I need to know what's wrong."

"I'm thinking I need coffee and a shower."

"Rodney."

He sighed. "John."

John released one arm around him, used it to cup Rodney's face and tilt it so he could kiss him. It was deep, full of all the things his lover couldn't say.

Kissing him back, Rodney moaned a little into it, closing his eyes, wishing things were simple, easy, uncomplicated, and they lived in a world where John Sheppard didn't have to fight to stay alive on a daily basis.

"Yours." It was breathed into his own mouth between kisses, when they were both gasping for air.

"Only while you're still alive," Rodney whispered, not even sure if John could hear him.

John moved to kiss the corners of his mouth. "I can't predict when I'll go, Rodney, and I have to take risks sometimes. To protect Atlantis. To protect you. But I promise, I'll take every precaution I can, try to find every other alternative first."

"You were driving ninety! That's just…reckless…just like the jumper."

"I didn't realize I was going so fast. It had been a long time since I had that much open road in front of me. And the jumper... I didn't have a choice. It needed to be done, and I was the only one with both the piloting skills and the gene to pull it off. I didn't want to die, but I had run out of time and options. I needed to buy you a few more minutes if you were going to save everyone else."

"It always has to be you, doesn't it?" Rodney asked, already knowing the answer. They'd been through it already. They'd had this argument before.

"I won't ask my men to do anything I'm not willing to do myself. I can't change who I am."

"Which will end up leaving me alone."

"I can't change. I wish I could tell you otherwise, but that's part of who I am. If it comes to a choice between my life and yours, I will do whatever it takes to save yours."

"How about you decide on the option that doesn't involve saving anyone's life—yours or mine?"

"The only option that allows that is to retire and give up Atlantis. I'm not ready for that, not ready to stop fighting for it yet. Are you?"

Rodney went to move, but John held him fast. "I need to get ready for work."

"Are you? Would you really be happy giving up the CSO position? Leaving behind Pegasus and everything we've fought for there? Leaving behind the people who have become our friends, leaving them to fight at the severe disadvantage losing you would cause?"

"For the right thing, yes, yes I would," Rodney said, heat in his voice, his eyes on the plaid curtains across the room. "It might be selfish, but right now, I don't care. I'm tired of fighting for every last inch. Tired of hiding behind rules and regulations. Tired of watching people die, of sending people to die. Tired of fighting for what I want."

"I know. But the flip side is knowing someone else is sending the people you care about out to die, and they might not take the extra few minutes, try just that little bit harder, to make sure everyone comes home alive. I warned you when we started this it would be hard, that keeping the secret would wear on you after a while. I know. Believe me I know how much it hurts sometimes. But I can't stop fighting, Rodney. If I do, then I'm as good as dead, because it means I've given up."

"Then maybe we're too different because right now, giving up sounds a whole lot better than the alternative."

John's arms tightened to the point of painful. "No. I'm not letting you walk away again."

"You say that as you run to embrace suicide mission after suicide mission. You can't have it both ways."

"One suicide mission. And only when I didn't have any other options to keep you alive. I'm a soldier, Rodney. I do what I have to do to protect the ones I love."

"And I'm a scientist who needs to get ready for work."

"Not until we get past this. I'm not letting you walk away angry at me."

"And I'm not going to let you make me late for work."

"I don't care about the SGC right now. You're more important."

"And we're not going to get past this. This is going to be an argument we're going to have on a regular basis," Rodney said, finally managing to disentangle himself from John, scooting back on the bed. "And I'm not angry at you…really."

John sighed. "I'm sorry. Sorry I scared you. Sorry I ran out of ideas. Sorry I couldn't kiss you breathless in the chair room and tell you how much it hurt to walk away, to get on that jumper and know I wasn't going to see you again. I'm just...sorry."

"John, just…I need to get ready."

"Tell me you're okay first. Tell me you aren't going to spend the next twenty hours letting this eat at you."

Rodney sighed. "I'm fine. I'm not going to spend the next twenty hours letting this eat at me."

John crawled up the bed until Rodney was forced to lie flat. He pressed a hot kiss down onto his lips. "Liar."

"I have to get ready for work, John."

"Fuck work. If you want me to walk away I will. If you ask me to retire, walk away, I will."

"No, you won't. You won't be happy."

"I can find a commercial flight job."

"And complain of the monotony? No."

"I'll do it if you ask me to."

"I won't."

John put his head down, letting it rest in the crook of Rodney's shoulder and neck. "I want you to be okay with who I am."

"I love you, John. I just wish you weren't so…reckless sometimes. The last time I checked, what you did impacted more than just you. Sometimes I think you forget that."

"I know. I haven't had anyone else care about what happened to me in a very long time. I'll...I'll try to be better. And if you ever catch me being reckless and you have a better alternative, I promise I'll at least listen."

Rodney sighed. He didn't want to fight anymore. "Okay."

"I love you."

"Love you," Rodney said, lifting his head to catch John's lips in a kiss.

"Hey, I think you should probably go get ready for work. Lazy bum." John's smile was cautious—the Sheppard version of a peace offering.

"I wonder where you got that idea," he said, rolling his eyes.

John rolled off, watching him gather up his clothes from the bed. "Hey, before you get dressed, can I measure you?"

"What? Why?" Rodney asked, sitting up.

"I have a surprise in mind."

"A surprise."

John bounced off the bed, and rummaged in the drawer he had pulled the ties from earlier. "I found your tape measure yesterday. It won't take long."

"Do I have a choice?"

"Not really."

Rodney rolled his eyes again as he slid to the edge of the bed. "How did I know that was the answer?"

"Because I'm a toppy kind of guy, and you get off on indulging me." John got him to stand, and measured every part of him—arms, chest, waist, thighs, the length of his torso and legs, even his cock. Then John started to stroke him, licking the tip of his dick a few times. "Need to get the measurements when you're hard, too."

"Are you insane?" Rodney asked, disbelief in his voice that quickly turned to a low moan as John stroked him.

"Nope. Just planning ahead." When he started leaking, John pulled the tape measure up again, checking both his circumference and length. "Mmmmm, I knew you were well-endowed, but now we have mathematical proof."

Holding onto John's shoulders, he lowered his head to his chest as he tried to control himself. "Please tell me you plan on finishing what you started."

"Mmmm. Let's go get in the shower and I'll take care of you."

"John, we don't have a lot of time left and I—"

"You need a shower anyway. You have come all over you, and you smell like sex. I'll make it quick and dirty for you." He rose, tugging Rodney into the bathroom.

"I smell like you."

John leaned in to lick his neck again. "Even better."

Rodney snorted as they stepped into the bathroom, John turning on the water and getting the shower prepped while he waited, John's free hands sitting on his ass, right over the mark he'd placed there before.

When the water was the right temperature, he stepped in, pulling Rodney with him, and into a very wet kiss. The hand on his ass moved south just slightly. John pushed, hard, on the mark, even as he pushed his tongue into Rodney's mouth, rough, and demanding.

Groaning, the sound mostly lost to John's mouth, Rodney found himself pushed against the wall, John's fingers trailing over his ass and dipping into his still-loose hole.

Another hand wrapped around his erection and started stroking, hard, almost painful pulls, coupled with the tongue and two fingers being pressed back inside him, even as the relentless kisses were pressed on him, barely giving him time to breathe.

Giving himself up to the sensations he wrapped his arms around John, one hand trailing up to his shoulder while the other slid south to his ass, cupping it. Moaning into the kiss, he let himself feel, letting John pull him along for the ride until John finally growled in his ear.

Whimpering, his cock began to spill between them, John's hand warm and sure, holding him, stroking him until he softened and only then did John begin to back off, gentling the kisses, the caresses, pulling his fingers free but leaving his hand on Rodney's ass.

When Rodney had been reduced to puddle consistency, John made sure he was propped against the wall, then grabbed a washcloth and began the regular ritual of washing him.

It didn't take long, but John was thorough, letting Rodney linger in the post-coital bliss John gave him. When he was done, John kissed him gently, offering a smile.

"Hey. You still with me?"

"Think so."

John shifted against him, and Rodney realized his lover was still hard—probably painfully so.

"What do you want?"

"Touch me, jerk me off."

"I can blow you."

"I'm not stupid enough to turn down one of your blowjobs. You have an amazing mouth." John pulled him backwards until he was the one with his back against the wall.

Dropping to his knees, the water hitting him on the side, Rodney leaned in, wrapping his mouth around John's erection as he folded his hands behind his back, clasping them together.

He was rewarded with a moan. Looking up through his eyelashes, he saw that John's head had fallen back, hands clenching and unclenching at his sides.

Letting John slide from his mouth, he waited a moment until he had his lover's attention. "Take what you need, John."

"Oh fuck... you really are trying to kill me." John's hands came up to tangle in Rodney's hair. "Make me come. Use that talented mouth of yours while I take you."

Kissing the end of John's cock, he swallowed him again, working with his tongue and teeth to bring John to the edge, while adding just the right amount of suction. With John's hands on his head, he couldn't pull out, but that just made him work harder. He wanted it to be good for John.

John's hips moved slowly, pushing in deep enough that it was just short of painful, only to pull back and start again. His head had fallen back again, fingers curling in his hair. John was making the sexy growl-moan he made whenever he was getting close to orgasm.

Taking a deep breath when he could, Rodney relaxed his throat letting John slide in further. As he swallowed, he used his tongue and teeth, hoping it was enough.

"Rodney!" John jerked, and was coming down his throat, hands clenching hard in his hair, holding him in place. As his lover came back down, the grip eased off, sliding down to caress his face.

Leaning back a little, he licked and sucked as John softened in his mouth, making sure he got every last drop. He held John like that, in the warmth of his mouth, until John finally pulled him back, tugging him up into a kiss.

"You're amazing, you know that right?"

Rodney leaned in to kiss John, his hands still held behind him, giving him an excuse to lean fully against Sheppard.

John's arms wrapped around him, fingers tangling with his. "Love you."

"Mmmm."

John's quiet laugh made him bounce pleasantly where they were pressed together. One hand disentangled itself from Rodney long enough to shut the water off.

Rodney leaned into John, loving long lines and hard muscle and the feeling of John's hands in his.

John nudged him with his nose until his head was angled for a kiss, this time sweet and lazy.

Returning it, Rodney knew John could taste himself and it made him smile knowing how he'd made his lover come undone—just using his mouth.

Pulling back, John smiled, the lazy, genuine one Rodney knew was saved for him alone. "I could stay here all day with you like this."

"So call the SGC and tell them I came down with a horrible cold and I have to stay in bed all day."

"If I didn't have to get on a plane I would. But I'll take a rain check for a lazy day in bed. We'll order room service, and I won't just make you fly, I'll make you touch the moon."

"I guess we'll just have to see if you're up for that kind of activity," Rodney said with a sigh, knowing that the lazy time they had this morning was quickly vanishing.

"Hmmm, another challenge? Have you ever known me to lose when you do that?"

"The jury's still out," Rodney answered, leaning forward the inch or so to give John another kiss as he wiggled his fingers still in John's grasp.

"I guess you just need more data then." John sucked in Rodney's bottom lip for a moment before letting him move away again.

"At the rate we're going, I will be late again."

"Hey, I heard you had time to stop at Starbucks. I'm not feeling your pain here." John rubbed his cheek along Rodney's neck, the rough stubble more than likely giving him beard burn.

"Hey…come on. Enough already. It's bad enough you gave me the hickey where I can't hide it."

"I have to make sure the hussy in SG1 knows you're taken."

"They don't need to know who did the taking, however, and beard-burn is a dead giveaway."

"Only that it's another guy who took you, not who."

"And as open minded as I am, the SGC is not as much."

John licked his ear, sucking the lobe between his lips for a moment. "Mine. She can't have you."

Rodney shivered, trying to get his hands free from John's grasp, but the Major wasn't letting go. "John…"

"Yes?"

"I have to go to work."

With a sigh, John slowly let go of his hands, trailing his own to rest on Rodney's hips.

Pulling his arms forward, he rubbed his hands against John's arms. "Thank you."

"You're stealing my lines again."

"You took some of mine, so we're even." He pressed another kiss to John's lips before stepping back. "I need to get dressed. You have a plane to catch."

John closed his eyes for a second, pain drifting over his features. "I know. God, am I a horrible person for not wanting to have to do this?"

"No. Facing the families is the hardest thing."

"I can't just send a letter. Not for Ford." John followed him out, taking the offered towel and quickly drying off.

"I know," Rodney said with a sigh. "That's what makes it harder." He looked at John for a long moment before moving into the bedroom, pausing in front of the mirror and turning so he could see the bite mark on his ass. It was already starting to turn and would be a lovely shade of purple by the end of the day. Shaking his head, he pulled on clothes before padding barefoot into the kitchen, socks in hand, to start making coffee. They had just enough time to make a pot and get on the road.

John had gone into the guest room to find clothes, and he came out wearing a pair of tight black jeans, black tee-shirt, and a black leather jacket, which he tossed over a chair. "I smell coffee. Making enough for two cups?"

Rodney just stared at John, his mouth dropping open a little as his lover moved forward, the fabric moving with him.

"What?" John stopped, looking down at himself. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing at all," Rodney answered, finally looking up to meet John's worried gaze, the other man seeing his appreciation and desire.

The concern turned to a wicked grin as he leaned against the counter, the jeans outlining certain parts of his anatomy. "Good to know."

"You are going to kill me, you know? A piece at a time."

"And this time I wasn't even trying."

Rodney tilted his head. "You don't have to try. It's just you."

John actually blushed faintly, but he was still grinning. "You're just saying that to make me feel better. Come on, you can be honest. Do these jeans make me look fat?"

Bursting out laughing, Rodney shook his head as he turned to the fridge, pulling out the milk and a yogurt. "Perfect is closer to the truth. Want anything?"

Chuckling, John eased into a more natural position. "What do you have?"

"Yogurt," he replied, holding up the cup in his hand as he ducked to look. "Bread. Eggs. Leftover pasta. Fruit."

"Gimmie the bread, eggs and milk. I'll make breakfast. You can eat the pasta for dinner tonight."

He glanced up at the other man. "You know we're on a time constraint, right?"

"It will take me all of ten minutes total."

"And an hour to clean up the maple syrup," Rodney said, pulling out the requested items and placing them on the counter. He peeled back the lid of the yogurt and grabbed a spoon from the drawer, digging into the cup as he watched John move around the kitchen.

"Who needs syrup? Do you want one?" He mixed together a few spices with the milk, then cut a hole in the middle of the bread, tossing it into a frying pan.

"I figured you were making French toast," Rodney said, watching carefully. "And if it's not too much trouble."

John added a second piece to the pan, flashing a smile over at Rodney. When the first side was browned, he flipped them, then cracked an egg into the holes of each piece. "I was taught to call them bird's nests, but I don't know if that was my Grandmother's name for it, or the actual name. She made them when we needed something quick so we could get out of the house to go do something."

"Oh." Rodney's spoon hit the bottom of the yogurt cup and he tossed it in the sink, the container going into the garbage. He grabbed two small plates and forks, setting them next to the stove.

When the eggs were cooked, but the yolks still runny, John pulled them out of the pan, putting one on each plate. He broke his yolk and smeared it around the bread, taking a bite. "So?"

With a mouthful of warm breakfast, Rodney moaned happily. "You sure you don't want to quit and just cook for me?"

"I can do both—I'm pretty good at multi-tasking."

Feeling his cheeks flush as he remembered the other night, he nodded. "Yes, you are. Coffee?"

"Please." John made puppy-dog eyes at him until he poured a cup, adding milk and sugar like he knew the soldier liked it. John got a content smile as he polished off his food and chased it with coffee. "Every day should start like this. Hot sex, good breakfast, great company."

"Should be a requirement."

"I could live with that."

"Mmm," Rodney said, taking a long sip of his coffee. "Me, too." After washing down his breakfast, he dumped the plates in the sink before turning to John. "Because I can't do this later," he said, moving to pull him into an embrace, kissing him long and hard. "Safe trip."

John returned the kiss, pulling Rodney close after he got rid of his own dishes. "I will. And I won't be gone long. When you get home tomorrow, I'll be here."

"Okay."

Pulling free with a last, lingering kiss. John disentangled himself and pulled on his jacket. At the door, he picked up a duffel he must have dropped before coming in for breakfast. "Ready?"

"One minute," Rodney said, pulling a travel mug out of the cabinet. He dumped sugar and milk in, topping the rest off with coffee, filling the empty pot with water and leaving it in the sink. The milk and eggs went back in the fridge and the coffee maker was turned off. "I'll clean everything later. I have to change the sheets, too."

"The housekeeper had been back by yesterday when I got home. I rumpled the guest bed again so it looks slept in."

"I figured. She'll be back tomorrow. I have her coming every other day."

"Okay." John followed him out to the car, swiping the travel mug and taking a long sip as they got situated.

"I'm driving you?"

Rolling his eyes, John leaned back in the seat. "Yup. I told you that this morning. I'm on military transport out, so I can catch a ride with you to the base and hitch a ride to the airfield from there. Then I come home via a civilian flight, so I'll have to catch a cab or something from the airport."

"Ask Walter to get you a driver," Rodney said as he slid into the driver's seat, stealing his coffee back once he'd buckled in and had the car running.

"I won't be going back down. When we get there, I'll get on one of the vehicles going to the airfield right away. I asked yesterday, and they have them leaving about every half-hour, so I shouldn't have to wait long."

"Good, good. You grab the laptop?"

John blinked. "No? Did I need it?"

"No. Thought you might use it on the plane or at the hotel. Do you want to run up and grab it before I pull out?"

"I didn't think of that. Yeah, actually. You mind?" John was already unbuckling his seatbelt.

"Go. Better to remember it now, than later." Sheppard dashed out, running back to the apartment leaving Rodney to enjoy his coffee and the bruise on his ass. He chuckled and shook his head, a smile on his lips.

It didn't take Sheppard long to return, carrying the laptop and cables, which he quickly stowed in the top of his duffle, then slid back in the front seat. "Okay, I think I'm good now."

Rodney nodded and pulled out, making the trip to the Mountain fairly easily, the conversation between the two of the light, John's hand resting on the top of his thigh the entire way.

As they pulled in to the parking lot, a thumb was pressed lightly into his thigh—John's version of a kiss goodbye when he couldn't actually kiss him—then the hand was withdrawn.

"You checking in downstairs or heading right over?"

"Heading right over. If you see Sergeant Harriman, can you see about getting me a ride home tomorrow? If I don't see anyone waiting, I'll just catch a cab, but you're right, having someone pick me up would be a lot easier."

"It would. Have a safe flight. Call me when you get in?"

"I will. On both counts. Don't work too hard, and I'll see you tomorrow."

Rodney offered a wave as John headed toward the entrance to the main section of NORAD where the shuttles to the nearby airfields were located, while Rodney headed into the Mountain, signing in and taking the elevators down into the SGC. He was early, but Carter was waiting for him as soon as the elevator doors opened on the twenty-eighth floor.

"McKay. I heard you had arrived." She glanced at her watch. "I'm impressed."

"Why?" he scowled, feeling her eyes linger on the very obvious hickey on his neck. He turned, heading into the labs, his hands wrapped around his coffee mug.

"I don't think I've ever seen you show up anywhere on time, much less early. You're usually finishing up 'just one more thing.'"

"I do know how to tell time, Colonel."

She rolled her eyes, keeping pace with him easily. "Yes, I'm well aware of that. You just usually don't care enough about anyone else's schedules for it to be an issue."

"And I'm on my schedule right now and yet it still seems to be a problem."

She huffed. "Why do you always assume the worst? I was just trying to make small talk. Lighten up, McKay. Anyway, I drew up some plans for the enhancements to the generators, and I wanted you to take a look at them, since I'm incorporating some Ancient technology."

"I thought there were more briefings scheduled for today," he said, turning into the office that he'd been given for his stay at the Mountain. It wasn't big, but it had everything he needed—including a coffee maker.

"There are, which is why I was pleased you were here early—we have the time." She rolled out a set of plans she had been carrying on his desk. "They crystal technology used by the Goa'uld and that used by the Ancients is very similar—they probably stole it from the Ancients in the first place—but there are some slight differences. I want to make sure I didn't overlook anything important."

"I'll take a look at it," he said, pulling the plans closer as he settled in, glancing up when he felt Carter's eyes on him. "You wanted something else?"

She was looking at him very carefully. "Have a nice night?"

"Yes."

She looked at him carefully again, then held up a finger, indicating he should wait a moment. She disappeared, presumably into the office he knew she had on this level, reappearing with a small compact. "Your skin tone is about the same as mine—close enough to get by. Let me see if I can disguise it a bit."

He felt his cheeks flushing. "You don't have to."

"Believe it or not, I like you McKay, and I don't want to see you hassled—at least not for that."

"Trust me, the guards at the checkpoints already saw it. Not like I can hide it," he grumbled, but tilted his head when Carter put her hand on his head, trying to get a better angle.

"But they weren't Generals—and you've already managed to ruffle more than a few feathers."

Rodney pulled away from her, scowling. "Why do you care what people think about me?"

Her lips quirked up. "Just let me hide the hickey, McKay."

Setting his jaw, the muscles in his body tight, Rodney didn't say anything—but also didn't stop her from working.

She stepped back, looking carefully, then nodded, slipping the compact into her pocket. Then she looked back down at the plans, tracing a finger along one section. "This is where I made the most modifications—but admittedly you've worked more with the crystal conduits than I have. This is how I would set them up if it was a Goa'uld system, but I didn't know if the power flow and fluctuations were close enough that we could adapt it."

"And you're right, they're not the same and it will affect the flow rate. You actually need to place them further upstream, probably here," he said pointing, before he started lecturing her on Ancient power systems. By the end, Carter was a little glazed, but it seemed like she understood.

They had made a lot of notations on the plans, arguing over placement and positioning a few times. However, when she rolled them up, she was grinning. "I'll modify these, and send you the revision to take a last look at before we start trying to build any. And if you'll come with me, we have a briefing to attend."

And the briefings—all afternoon—were as painful as he thought they'd be—in terms of the intelligence-deficient attendees, the bruise on his ass, and the itchy feeling of concealer on his neck.

Carter kept throwing him looks all afternoon as he shifted and ranted—which he ignored—finally calling it quits sometime after seven, but still with more to do before he could leave. Stopping at the mess, he grabbed something for dinner, dragging it with him to his office where he finally sat down to work for a few hours before he'd head home to an empty apartment.

A knock on his door frame, and someone clearing their throat made him look up.

Crap. He was so fired.

"General, I'm in the middle of a project. Did you need something?"

"I wanted to chat with you, Doctor McKay." Hank Landry moved inside, sitting in his guest chair. Rodney didn't let the laid back attitude fool him—he was being sized up.

Crap. Crap. Crap. "Is this going to take long because I'm right in the middle of—"

"I know what you're working on, and it can wait. I will, however, give you a moment to wrap up if you were in the middle of a thought."

Rodney glanced back down at the screen, scowling slightly. "I'm always in the middle of a thought. Genius and all," he said, finishing the sentence and saving the document. He glanced back up, regarding Landry with the same intensity as he was being judged. He never worked with the man so he wasn't sure what to expect.

"You managed to piss quite a few people off yesterday and today, Doctor McKay. I had heard stories about your…fiery spirit…but I've never seen anyone who could irritate so many Generals so fast."

He shrugged, leaning back in his chair, trying—and failing—to be calm, cool, and collected. "It's a skill I've picked up."

Landry's lips twitched. "Why don't we talk about why you felt the need to make an enemy out of some very powerful people? If you weren't absolutely necessary to the Atlantis expedition—and if the idea of you living a galaxy away didn't appeal to certain individuals—you would have put your own job in jeopardy."

"Some people needed their thinking readjusted."

"I'm not necessarily disagreeing with you. I'm just trying to figure out why you choose that route to...re-adjust them. Let me be candid with you here, Doctor McKay. I'm not entirely convinced Sheppard is the right man for this position, but I'm not opposed to it either. He did a decent job when he never should have had those burdens. But he has enemies, not to mention everyone who has a friend of a friend they'd like to see running the show."

"To be blunt: they haven't put the time in. Sheppard knows what he's doing. People trust him. Our allies trust him. Why mess with something that's working?"

"Again, I'm not completely disagreeing with you. But your...colorful way of expressing your opinions has only managed to piss off a few of his staunchest nay-sayers—there is no way we'll ever be able to change their minds, because now it's personal. Jack is doing what he can in Washington, but I'd like to suggest you at least try to find more...tactful ways of expressing your opinion. I've spent the last twenty-four hours putting out fires you started."

"Look," Rodney said, leaning forward, "I didn't want to give you a headache—or General O'Neill or Sheppard for that matter—but it had to be said since no one else was willing to. So I ruffled some feathers. It's not the first time and it won't be the last. The politics in this place is beyond unbelievable. If some of you actually did your jobs instead of worrying how you'd look for the next yearly review, maybe you wouldn't be in the place you are now."

Landry pinched the bridge of his nose with one hand. "I understand your position, Doctor McKay, and frankly the loyalty the senior staff of Atlantis has for one another is a mark in Sheppard's favor in my book. But you're making it difficult for those of us who could be his allies to do him any good."

"But you weren't doing anything," he said, waving his hand. "And I'm not about ready to sit here and let a good man be passed over because someone doesn't like what he did years ago—even though it was the right thing to do."

"He disobeyed direct orders, Doctor McKay. I know, as a civilian, that doesn't seem like much to you. And yes, the circumstances surrounding the order are a bit more hazy than is ideal—I don't know that I wouldn't have made the same decision in Sheppard's place. But the fact remains that he has a big problem with chain of command and authority. Even Doctor Weir had to admit she has had problems with that. Reluctantly, to be sure, since she is fighting as hard as you are to keep him in command of our troops, but those of us who make decisions have to base them on facts. And the fact is that Sheppard is a bit more unstable that we'd ideally like the commander of an outpost in another galaxy to be."

"But have you even considered what might happen if he doesn't go? Have you even stopped to consider the ramifications?"

Landry waved a hand. "Why don't you spell them out for me? If you give me some good reasons not buried in sarcasm, I'll forward them to the review board."

"The Atlantis expedition team—all of them—trust him. If that's not reason enough, I'm not sure anything else would make a difference. The Athosians trust him and are helping us because of what he's done and because of the trust they have in him. Would you risk losing that trust, the one thing that managed to help us survive in Pegasus?"

"And you don't think that trust would carry over? A great deal of the relations you have with our allies is due to the senior staff as a whole, not one man."

"I think it would be severely damaged. And not to mention the reminder that many of the civilians on Atlantis are currently at the end of their contracts. If they don't trust the ones protecting them, there's no telling if they'll stay or not."

"I find it hard to believe your staff would choose to leave Atlantis simply because the head of military changed."

"It's all about trust and safety, General."

"And the military presence will be increased, with the added benefit of regular supply runs and support from the Daedalus. You don't know yet what changes a new commander would make—they might end up leaving you more secure, rather than less."

"Maybe, but I'm doubtful. The military just comes in with their brush cuts and their guns and changes the way things are done because they think they know better. It already happened with Colonel Everett."

Landry winced. "Unfortunately, as talented as the Colonel was, that was a bit of a blunder, I'll admit. All we had to go on was the reports you were able to send in the data burst, and Sheppard's own assessment of the situation."

"And that just proves my point."

"Colonel Caldwell is as different from Everett as Sheppard is. You don't know that he won't do a better job."

"He won't."

"I have to admit, the fact that yourself, Doctor Beckett, and Doctor Weir are fighting so hard for Sheppard is, as I said, a mark in his favor in my book." Landry sighed, standing up. "I'll take your suggestions and comments into consideration, and in return, I'd like you to think about mine. You aren't doing him any favors by pissing off the brass. Quite frankly it's amusing as hell to watch, but if you want Sheppard back in command of the Atlantis military sector, you need to tone it down."

"I'll consider it. And, General?"

Landry half-turned. "Yes, Doctor?"

"My staff's contracts aren't the only ones coming up for renewal."

Landry paused. "Is that a threat, Doctor McKay?"

"Just a reminder."

The General narrowed his eyes. "Blackmail isn't a good way to win friends."

"I'm doing no such thing," Rodney said, leaning back, his eyes drifting to the computer screen. "We've just done a lot of talking about Sheppard and the military pieces of the Atlantis puzzle, but you seem to be forgetting about the civilians."

"Civilians are free to request transfers as necessary. They only need be approved by the department heads—yourself, Beckett, or Doctor Weir."

"If they sign a blind commitment for two years. I read the paperwork. That still doesn't cover the ones already there."

"You've never been one to dance around any subject, Doctor. Why don't we cut to the chase? Are you threatening to leave if Sheppard is removed from command?"

"I don't believe I said that."

"Then what were you saying?"

Rodney shrugged. "Nothing at all, General."

Landry gave him a hard look. "Is that all, Doctor?"

"Unless you had something else to discuss. Otherwise, I should get back to the project I’m working on."

"I assume you do plan on taking the leave time you've been given away from the SGC, correct?"

"Eager to see me go, General?"

"I didn't say that, McKay." With a nod of his head, Landry turned and left.

Once Landry's footfalls were a distant memory, McKay finally relaxed wondering how much he'd managed to screw up in a fifteen minute conversation. Politics drove him insane.

He got  back to work, trying to finish up his project, getting lost in the facts and figures until his cell rang somewhere on the other side of the room. Entering a few numbers, he quickly saved the file before grabbing for his coat and digging in the pocket. He caught it with one ring to spare before it forwarded to voice mail. "McKay."

"Is the position of chef still open? I don't think I want to do this any more."

"Jo—Sheppard? Where the hell have you been?"

"I just got back to the hotel. Lara was—God, that was bad. Having to tell someone their family is missing..."

"You're at the hotel? You already went for the visit? I thought you were going to call me when you landed…" Rodney maneuvered his way back to his desk, slumping down in the chair, his eyes on the door.

"I did call. I left you a message."

"You what?" Rodney pulled the phone away from his head and glanced at the screen. Sure enough, two missed calls, one message. Figures. "I think I see the message."

John's chuckle sounded strained. "Yeah, nothing exciting. Just letting you know I had landed, and that I remember now why I prefer to be the one doing the actual flying."

"That bad?"

"Tomorrow will be worse. At least this was military so I was able to chat with the pilot a bit."

"I'm sorry. And I may have put my foot in my mouth with Landry."

John was silent for a moment, and Rodney could hear clicking—the laptop most likely. "How did you manage that?"

"He came down to chat about yesterday. I decided to…enlighten him again. Remind him about the civilian contracts."

"Yesterday? What happened yesterday?"

Crap. They hadn't talked about that had they? "I didn't mention it?" he asked, wincing.

"Mention what? Some big new science breakthrough? Tell me you didn't call Carter names again. I don't want to live in Russia."

"No…not quite. I may have told some…Generals that they were morons and weren't using what little intelligence they were given."

Dead silence on the other line. "Oh. Carson did…ah…mention that you were having words with some of the general staff."

"You could say that," Rodney groaned. "I might have also told Landry that if you stay on Earth I’m not going back to Atlantis."

The next several minutes all he got was the sound of someone choking on something.

Yeah. Probably not the best idea to do this long-distance. Rodney closed his eyes and lowered his head. "Sheppard?"

"Here." It was wheezed into the line. "Taking a sip of soda was a bad idea at that precise moment in time. Oh God. Do I still have a job? Do you still have a job? Is there any word about my status?"

"I didn't come out and say it, but Landry got the idea," Rodney clarified. "I'm still at the SGC and no SFs have been around to escort me out if that's your question. And the rest…I haven't heard anything. Landry wanted to know if I was planning on taking my leave away from the SGC."

John sighed. "Well, what's done is done, and for the record, I do appreciate the support. Nice to know someone thinks I'm doing a good job, even if your opinion is, understandably, biased."

"I do know how to separate things," Rodney protested, glancing up at the door, making sure he was alone. "And…Carter…"

When he didn't continue, John prompted him. "Yes? What did she do to piss you off this time?"

"I think she knows."

"Knows.... Oh my, God. Okay, new rule, you aren't allowed in the SGC without me there to step on your foot occasionally."

"I didn't say anything! I swear. She's smart. She even put something on the hickey, said I didn't need anyone hassling me."

John moaned into the phone.

"Okay, you can't do that when I'm in the SGC. And it's not my fault. It's not like I could have done that to myself."

"Just...try not to out us to anyone else while I'm gone. I have a 0900 flight tomorrow."

"I didn't do it!"

"I know. It was my fault for giving you the hickey."

"I warned you about that, too."

"I should probably be more worried, but I just don't care anymore. You're mine, and if they want to kick me out for it, fine."

"Oh! And before I forget, Walter said there's an airman going to pick you up in Denver."

"Great, thanks. That'll save me some cash—that would have been one hell of a fare."

"To say the least," Rodney said, looking at the time. "I'm going to leave here in about an hour, you still going to be up? I can call you when I get home."

"That depends."

"On?"

"Whether or not there's phone sex involved."

"I guess that depends upon you, doesn't it?" Rodney said with a smirk, his eyes glancing up to the door.

"Then I'll be up. Call me when you get settled."

"Yes, sir."

He heard John suck in a breath. "Are you alone?"

"I'm at the SGC. You're never really alone."

"They bug the offices?"

"There are cameras everywhere, Sheppard. You should know how top secret military bases work."

"Spoilsport. Wrap up and go home."

"Right now? I'm in the middle—"

"Rodney. Wrap up whatever you're working on, go get in the car, and go home."

"I…" he started, but the firmness of John's voice went right to his groin. "Finishing up."

"Good. It takes a half-hour to get from the SGC to the apartment this time of night. I'll expect a call in forty-five minutes. Don't touch yourself until I tell you to."

"Oh, God," Rodney whispered, already starting to shut down his computer and programs for the night. He'd just come in a little earlier tomorrow.

"Drive safe. Get naked before you call."

This time Rodney's head did hit the top of his desk.

John's chuckle was dirty. "Talk to you soon, Rodney."

After he hung up the phone, it took a few minutes for him to get straightened out. Pulling his jacket on as he walked to the elevator, he met Carter and Daniel on the way, both of them heading out for the night as well.

"Hey, Rodney!" Daniel flagged him down. "Sam and I were going to grab a quick dinner before we head home. Interested in coming along?"

"I actually had something before," he said, swiping his card through the reader next to the elevator.

"Wow, I've never known you to turn down food, McKay. The world must be ending." Sam smirked at him.

Stepping into the elevator, he tried not to fidget or demand that the elevators go faster. "I ate earlier before my blood sugar bottomed out. Some of us can't wait to eat. Besides, I have some leftovers at home if I really want something."

Carter's eyebrow went up. "Leftovers? You're passing up the best hamburgers in the state for day-old take out?"

"Sheppard thanked me for letting him crash in the guest room so he cooked. He left me food. Fresh pasta and meatballs."

Daniel gave him an incredulous look. "He doesn't strike me as the cooking type."

"I know," Rodney said, returning the look. "Claimed his grandmother taught him. And here I thought the only thing he knew how to cook was an MRE."

"Is he any good?"

"I'm going home to heat up leftovers," McKay said, letting the sentence dangle for a minute. "What do you think?"

Sam laughed. "Good point. You should invite us over before you ship back to Atlantis."

"Sure," Rodney said, stepping out of the first elevator and waiting at the next bank that would take them to the surface. "Sheppard is dragging me to Vegas for a week. He claims I need to see it and he doesn't want to gamble alone. I'm not holding out much hope that I'll have a good time. I'm sure the smoke will kill me in about a day.

Daniel grinned at him. "Sounds like Jack. He gets it into his head that everyone needs to do something—I can't tell you how many times he dragged us all out to that cabin of his for fishing."

"Did you actually fish?" Rodney asked, stepping in the next elevator as Carter hit the button for the top floor.

Both members of SG1 rolled their eyes, but it was Daniel who answered. "We found out years later there were no actual fish in the pond."

"You're kidding."

Sam shook her head. "Not even a little. We spent hours sitting by that pond with poles, and the whole time there were no fish."

"That would be…I would have had to kill myself or something."

Sam slapped him on the back as they stepped out of the elevator and signed out for the day. "Count yourself lucky your team leader actually picked a place with something to do."

"Sure," Rodney said, rolling his eyes. "The music is only good if you're deaf, we'll die from second-hand smoke, and I'll be forced to watch bad Vegas night shows while Sheppard drinks and gambles. Fun."

"You could try the drinking and gambling part yourself. You might enjoy it. It's all about odds and math."

Rodney paused by the entrance of the mountain, trying to remember where he parked his morning. "I'm horrible at poker. Lost a small fortune once. I have no intention of doing that again. And I don't have to go to Vegas to drink. I can do that here." He pointed vaguely to the right. "I think I'm parked over there somewhere."

"Push the alarm button. That's how I find my car." Daniel pointed to the remote attached to the key. "See you tomorrow, McKay."

"Night," he waved, heading into the parking lot, finding his car a few minutes later. The trip down the mountain happened in a blur, his mind already several steps ahead of him. Pulling into the parking lot of his apartment, he raced in, locking the door behind him as he threw on a few lights—just enough for him to see where he was going.

Pulling the shades on all of the windows, he headed to his room, pulling off his clothes as he went. They ended up in a pile on the floor of his closet—he'd worry about it tomorrow. Grabbing a PowerBar and a bottle of water—the pasta could wait until later—he headed for the living room couch, stopping at his desk to dig for his headset. He'd never done this before, so it might pay to have two free hands.

Squinting across the room at the clock as he inhaled the PowerBar in three bites, he sipped at the water as he tugged his headset into place and connected it to his phone. At precisely forty-five minutes from when he'd hung up with Sheppard, the phone was ringing in his ear.

"Sheppard."

"So, what did you have in mind?"

"Are you naked?"

"That would be a yes. I'm on the couch in the living room."

John hummed. "Close your eyes and spread your legs."

"You know, I've never done this before. Is the living room okay? I can go in the bedroom if you want. I closed all the shades and the lights are half on. I didn't want to stub my toe or anything on the way to the bedroom. I figured it would be easier to leave all my clothes in there and worry about them in the morning. I also have my headset on," Rodney babbled, his nerves getting the best of him.

"The couch is fine. Spread your legs and slump down a little. Rest your head on the back, and close your eyes."

"Are you sure?" Rodney asked even as he slid down a little. "I mean, I want to make sure I do this right because well you know…phone sex. This is supposed to be fun."

"I'm sure. The couch works perfect. Use your right hand and roll your nipple like I usually do when we start playing."

"I…okay," Rodney said, dropping the phone he'd been holding tightly in his hand. Trying not to get tangled in the cord—stupid hands-free device, why didn't they get him a Bluetooth capable phone—he finally complied, the sensation very different from what he was used to. It was still nice, but…not the same.

"Relax, Rodney. I can hear you thinking from Philly. Focus on the way it feels, think about what it feels like when I touch you like that."

"Relax? Why isn't this couch as comfortable as I remember? Can you tell me that?" Rodney asked. "Fine, fine. Closing my eyes."

John chuckled into the phone. "Want to know what I'm doing? I'm on top of the crappy hotel bedspread. I'm naked, with my feet flat on the bed, spread wide. I'm playing with my nipple, light touches, enough to feel good, but not enough to get me hard yet."

"Really?" Rodney said, immediately stopping what he was doing, his voice going breathy.

"Yes. And when I close my eyes, I can almost convince myself it's you touching me, teasing me, making me want to squirm and push into it, but you keep pulling back, not letting me have it yet."

"Oh…I…I think the bedroom would be better."

"Go now if you want. In a minute you won't be allowed to."

Rodney sat up immediately. "Really? Okay okay okay. I’m going," he said, nearly dropping the phone when he tried to get up in a hurry. He scrambled across the apartment, almost bashing his shins into a table before righting himself. "Okay. I'm in the bedroom. Getting on the bed now. Do I need anything? Lube? Ties? More pillows? Anything?"

John's laugh was deep, and went straight to his groin. "Touch the mark I made on your ass last night. Push on it, hard. You're mine."

Finding it quickly, Rodney pushed against it, groaning as pain spread from the bruise. "Yours" he whispered, not even sure the pick-up on the headset would catch the word.

"Mine. Keep pushing on it while you fondle your nipple again. Harder this time."

Shifting a little on the bed, Rodney snaked his hand up—getting it caught in the headset wire again—and started to flick his nipple with the edge of his finger, every time the nail hit it he felt his cock jump a little, slowly starting to harden as he played. It took a few minutes before he started moaning, his eyes sliding closed as he turned his head to the side, smelling the remnants of sex on his sheets.

John was panting into the line, obviously enjoying it too. "The finger on the mark, move it lower. Find your entrance, but don't push in any further than the tip of. Tease yourself, Rodney."

"'kay…" Rodney whispered, shifting to his side so he could get more room to move, switching his hand to the other nipple to give it the same treatment he'd given the first one. Running his finger down his ass, Rodney pushed inside slightly, moaning as the tip breeched him. Without lube, though, he wouldn't be able to do much more than tease.

"I'm doing the same thing Rodney. I'm brushing my finger over and over my entrance and...oh... feels good. My nipples are getting swollen, and when I pinch," there was a groan, indicating John was demonstrating, "feels so good. I'm hard, Rodney, hard and leaking already because I want to be buried inside you."

"Oh god…want you…"McKay said with a moan as he squeezed harder, tugging the already swollen nub before switching back to the other one, rolling onto his back once again so he could reach better, his finger sliding in a little further. "Oh…"

"Give your poor nipples a break. Move your hand down, slowly. I love how soft the hair is on your stomach. When you get to your cock, just use one finger to tease the head."

Trailing his finger through the hair on his chest, he circled his red, dripping, and hard cock for a moment before using a finger to play with the head, bucking up against his hand, his body craving more. Groaning, he continued to play and tease, sweat beading on his forehead as he began to pant harder.

"Are you leaking, Rodney? Use your pre-come to get your other finger a little slick and let it slip further into your body."

"Oh god yes. Want you so much…" he replied, pulling his hand free so he could coat it with pre-come. He turned on his side again, arranging his hand and finger, pressing it deeper inside. He groaned as it slid in up to the first knuckle and he wiggled it back and forth, slowly opening himself.

"I know how coordinated you are. Find a rhythm, fucking yourself with the tip of your finger, and teasing the head of your cock."

"Just…just the tip?" Rodney managed to ask, pressing his face into the bed.

"For now."

"'kay…" he moaned, setting up an easy rhythm, rocking between his two hands, wanting more, needing more. A beeping in his ear jolted him out of the nice place he'd been falling into.

"Rodney?"

His phone beeped again, the sound finally registering. His answer was strangled. "I have an incoming call."

"Push the ignore button."

"It should go to voice mail, but what if they call back? What if it's important?"

"They'll leave a voicemail and you can check it later." John sighed. "I am going to kill whoever is calling you this time of night."

The phone beeped once more. "They left a message."

John started laughing. "God, I can't believe we just had phone sex derailed by call waiting."

"I’m so sorry," Rodney said, feeling his face flush, mortified.

"For what? You can't help modern technology. Come on, you have to admit it's pretty funny. God, I am so close to coming. Are you still hard?"

Rodney sighed. "No."

"I'm going to finish myself off."

"Okay," Rodney said, closing his eyes and listening to the sounds over the phone. He swore he could hear John's hand as he stroked himself, the slide of skin on skin accompanied by his breathy moans.

He could tell when John came, his breath hitching. He panted for a minute, trying to regain control. "Okay, so until the call waiting it was going well. We should try this again some time. Maybe with the radios."

"Maybe," Rodney said quietly, pulling a pillow close to his chest and curling around it.

"I'll be home tomorrow."

"Tomorrow's not soon enough."

"My flight gets in at what, 1000 your time? So I'll be back before noon. Come home early tomorrow."

"I will if I can."

"You know what's funny? More than the sex, I just miss being able to hold you right now. I like falling asleep tangled together."

"I should probably check that message."

"It's going to drive you nuts until you do, isn't it?"

"I'm actually waiting for the phone to ring again. No one calls me unless they need something," Rodney admitted with a sigh.

"Then go check it. I should get some sleep anyhow. Love you."

"Love you, too," Rodney said quietly. "See you tomorrow."

"Yeah. Don't blow anything up."

"Not working on anything that can."

"No, but if the opportunity presented itself, you wouldn't be able to resist. I refuse to miss out on the fun—at least wait for me to get there."

"I will. Good night."

"Good night." There was a soft click, and the line went dead.

Sighing, Rodney let the connection die, sitting in the silence for a moment before dialing into his voicemail. He listened to John's message first, hearing the exhaustion and the relief of arriving in Philadelphia. The second message was somewhat of a surprise, making him sit up straight.

General Landry.

He left a number—not the mountain—and asked him to return the call, tonight if possible.

Damn, damn, damn.

Instead of dialing the number he'd jotted down, he called John back.

The phone rang a few times, but just before it went to voicemail, it was picked up. "Sheppard."

"I am so screwed it's not even funny."

"What? Rodney? I thought you were checking voicemail."

"It was General Landry. He wants me to call him back tonight. So so so screwed."

"Rodney, breathe. Did he say what he wanted?"

"No. He wanted me to call him. Tonight. As soon as I got the message. He's calling me on my threat. I knew I'd been forceful, but I never thought he'd actually do it."

John was silent for a moment. "Rodney, breathe. If he's calling your threat, we're both out. Just...call him back, then let me know what's going on. Damn it! I should be there."

"I'll…right. Calling him. I'll…ah…call you back."

"I'll be here."

"Right." He disconnected without saying goodbye as he held the paper between his fingers. Dialing carefully, he took a deep breath, trying to ignore the fact that he was calling a General while he was sitting on his bed naked after having phone sex a few minutes ago with a very hot Major. No, those were probably not good things to think about. No, not at all. Because you never knew—

"This is Landry."

"General! Ah, General. This Doctor Rodney McKay…ah…returning your call. Sorry, I…ah…missed you. I was on the phone." The paper crumbled between his fingers.

"Ah, Doctor McKay. Not a problem, and I'm sorry for disturbing you so late. A few of the general staff have been recalled to Washington for meetings, so we need to bump up your final debrief. I know you've been busy with the science staff since you returned, but we can't put it off any longer. I'll need you at 0700 tomorrow morning. Again, sorry for the early time, but they have a flight to catch at 1200 and we want to be sure we don't cut you short."

"Yes, sir. I'll be there."

"Excellent. Again, sorry for the intrusion tonight. I was at home myself when I got word on the reschedule."

He waited a moment to see if the General was going to add anything before speaking again. "Was that all?"

He could almost hear the eye roll over the phone. "Not unless you've got any more questions, Doctor. I'll see you in the conference room at 0700."

"No questions. And 0700. Good night, General."

"Good night, Doctor." The line went dead.

Rodney held the phone in his hands for several minutes, his mind spinning. They're moving up the debrief. They want to get everything out of him before they fire his ass. He was so, so screwed—and not in a good way. He didn't have his resume updated, not that he could actually put his last job as CSO of a top secret outpost in another galaxy…

So. Screwed.

After a few minutes the phone rang.

He let it ring three times before he picked up. "McKay."

"If you're picking up, you're done with Landry. What did he want?"

"I'm so screwed."

"What happened?"

"They moved my debrief to 0700 tomorrow."

"Did he say why?"

"Supposedly the Generals are going home early. But they're just going to get everything out of me before they fire me. I know it. Damn damn damn."

"Rodney! Hey, okay, that actually makes sense. To be honest, I was surprised there were so many of them there for so long."

"It wasn't scheduled until the end of the week and after the last two days…I don't even have my resume updated."

"Rodney, calm down. Landry is one of the few who wouldn't drop that on you with no warning. Other than the reschedule itself, did he say anything to make you suspicious?"

McKay shook his head. "He didn't have to say anything. I just know."

"Stop. Don't worry yourself sick over this. Just go in, do the debrief, and try not to piss them off. We'll worry about anything else later."

"Try not to piss them off! That's like telling me to stop talking! I’m so screwed."

"Just answer their questions as completely as you can. O'Neill is already back in Washington, but Landry's not a bad guy. He'll be an ally if you let him. If Carter is there, she's obviously an ally, too. She helped you hide my mark and didn't turn us in; that counts for a lot."

"Maybe."

John just sighed. "Look, either way you need to do the debrief. If it's as intense as mine was with the Generals, you're going to be exhausted afterwards—especially since they'll need to rush it. Come home when you're done, and I'll be there waiting for you."

"I am so fired."

"Not yet you aren't. They haven't reassigned me yet, Rodney. If they had, I would have been the first call Landry made. You're too valuable for them to call on the threat and they wouldn't just let you go, they'd try to talk you out of it somehow."

"Watch, they'll keep you and send me packing because I opened my mouth. I'll be in Siberia again. I can't go back there."

"If that's the case, I resign my commission and we buy an island somewhere tropical. I'll teach you to surf."

Rodney sighed. "I hate this. I want to go home."

"I know. And I don't know what's more creepy—that I think of Atlantis as home now, or that I have a place I call home at all. We'll get through this. Just don't panic. Remember, you're smarter than all of them put together. If you don't let them play mind games, they can't get the upper hand."

"That's easy for you to say," Rodney grumbled.

"I spent two days locked in with them. Trust me. Keep your head, and just keep reminding yourself that you have Intel they need to hear."

"I guess. Sorry I bothered you."

"You aren't bothering me. I wish I was there."

Rodney sighed again. "Me, too."

"I love you. No matter what political bullshit we have to deal with, don't forget that."

"Love you, too. Have a safe flight."

"I'll call you when I get on the ground. If you're still in meetings, I'll leave a message."

"Okay. Good night."

"Good night."

The phone disconnected and Rodney dropped the phone, watching it bounce on the bed. Leaving the lights on in the rest of the apartment, he crawled up to the clock and set the alarm for "way too early" and slid under the sheets, his bare skin goose bumping at the chill. Pulling a pillow close to him, he tried to imagine it was John, but it wasn't nearly warm enough.

There was nothing like the real thing.

***

As the first commercial flight John had been on in ages took off, he gripped the armrests hard.

There was just something so wrong about this.

First of all, he wasn’t the one flying. Second, there were babies.

Screaming babies.

He clenched his jaw as the person sitting next to him—it was a packed flight—shifted into him. Walter had gotten him a window seat, which was better than the middle, but he would have preferred an aisle. He was grateful when the stewardess—and that was another thing that just felt wrong—came to take drink orders. He ignored the odd looks when he asked for something alcoholic.

The person sitting next to him was a teenage girl, and was with what appeared to be her mother, who had the aisle seat. Within twenty minutes, he knew the mother was divorced, the daughter lived with her, and they were both single at the moment.

It didn’t escape his notice that they both—Both!—were throwing sideways looks his way. And considering it took a lot for him to notice shit like that…

This was hell.

He didn’t know how they found out—Walter must have used his rank instead of a Mister when he booked the tickets—but an hour in to the flight, the stewardess came on over the intercom and fucking announced that they had a Serviceman on board. She gave out his seat number.

Mom and daughter made more obvious googly eyes at him after that, and this time there were joined by everyone in the area. The guy in front of him turned around and started up a conversation.

"So where are you stationed? I have a cousin who's in the Army."

John plastered on a charming smile. He could do this. "I'm Air Force actually. Pilot."

"Really?" squealed the woman on the aisle, before she turned to her daughter. "This is what I keep telling you—find someone worthwhile."

John just managed to hang on to his smile—barely.

"How long have you been in the Air Force?" the mother asked, leaning forward to stare a little more blatantly.

"I'm career. Joined straight out of the Academy at twenty-two."

"Really? That's so interesting. You must look amazing in your uniform."

John resisted the urge to squirm in his seat. Only years of playing the charming pilot—honed with a year of Teyla's crash course in diplomacy—kept him polite. He tried for distant responses, but God, this was going to be a long, long, very long flight. "I couldn't say, ma'am. My uniform is functional so I don't stand around staring at it."

"Ma'am, did you hear that Ginger? He called me 'ma'am'," the mother gushed, tapping her daughter's arm. "You're a polite one."

Oh, God. Ohgodohgodohgod. Whatever good karma he had saved up had apparently all been spent on obtaining Rodney. Fate had now tossed him into the wind. Feeling a bit desperate, he turned back to the guy who had started this conversation and was still listening avidly—as were everyone else in the immediate area. "So, Army huh? I don't know any guys in that branch. I mostly serve with other AF officers and Marines."

"Yeah. Been overseas for a year already. Hates it," he said. "I can't imagine how you've managed to make it a career."

"Where overseas? I was stationed in Afghanistan for a while, and if that's where he is, he has my sympathy."

"I think so. Haven't talked to him since they moved him a few months ago," the man said, shrugging. "So what are you doing now? You're stationed in Colorado?"

John had to do some quick thinking to remember where they had listed everyone on Atlantis as being stationed at. He was pretty sure it was Antarctica still. That was safe enough he supposed. "Nope, Antarctica. I'm on leave."

"Antarctica? What are you doing there? Watching penguins?"

"I'm a pilot, I fly people where they want to go. And really, the polar bears are the ones to watch."

"So what are you doing in Denver?" This question came from Ginger's mother.

"I'm staying with a friend who lives there." John jumped as the person behind him leaned over the seat to get in on the conversation. He was being closed in on from all sides. Hell. He was never going anywhere without Rodney and his geek's ability to offend everyone in a ten-mile radius ever again.

"A native? I really could use some tips on what to see in the city," the man behind him said.

"Oh yes, a guide would be wonderful," Ginger's mother gushed.

"He's not..." Actually, John realized he had no idea how long Rodney had kept the apartment, or how well he knew the city. So he improvised. "...the one picking me up. And I've spent a grand total of about a week in the state, all of it outside the city, so I'm afraid I'm not much help."

"What have you seen? Can you recommend anything?" the gentleman behind him asked. "We're going to have a car and plan to do some sight-seeing."

"I, uh, haven't seen much. Just the mountains. I don't really ever stay in Colorado, I just pass through."

"Are they nice?" Ginger's mom was going to drive him nuts. His skin was crawling from the frank looks she was giving him, like she was trying to see through his clothes.

He decided to try a diversionary tactic. He had stuffed the laptop in the pocket in the seat in front of him when he got on board, vaguely thinking he could play Solitaire until the battery died. Pulling it out now he gave the assembled people what he hoped was an 'I'm sorry' sort of smile. "You know, all this talk of sight-seeing made me remember I can't do anything until I get some paperwork finished—even on leave we aren't really free of duty you know."

"Ginger, he's on leave," Mom whispered.

John booted it up, and, since he was still being watched, he passed over Solitaire and pulled up the SGC inventory reports Rodney had, for some unknown reason, downloaded for him. He started going through them, making notes about what they needed more of, less of, or what additions he wanted to make.

"Why do you need so many tongue depressors?"

John jumped as Ginger craned her neck to see the screen, plastering herself to his side. He eased away. "I'm sorry?"

"Why would you need so many tongue depressors on a military base?"

"We have an infirmary that has to be fully stocked at all times. That means tongue depressors, among other things."

"Oh."

Ginger's mom leaned forward again. "Are you married?"

"Um, excuse me?" He tried to curl his hand into a ball, but not before she noted the lack of ring. He wondered how Rodney would feel about rings.

"I know a lot of servicemen don't wear rings—they get in the way. Are you married?"

"Not married, no, but I am involved with someone."

"Oh." He saw Ginger's mother's face drop. "Long distance relationships are difficult, aren't they?"

"They can be, yes." He didn't trust where this was going. Rodney joked about him being the Kirk of the Pegasus Galaxy, but the fact of the matter was, he really didn't ever see it coming. Even when it was bearing down on him at top speed, he wasn't quite sure about it.

"Will you get the chance to visit while you're on leave?"

"I certainly plan to. That's one of my primary objectives, actually."

"Isn't that sweet?" Ginger's mom asked her daughter, gushing and smiling.

John managed to deflect questions from Ginger and her mom, as well as from his front and back inquisitors, for the rest of the flight. By the time they were landing, however, he was starting to feel like a caged animal.

They continued chatting with him all the way to baggage claim, asking more and more prying and personal questions that were getting harder to side-step. John almost sobbed with joy to see the Airman—Sergeant Harriman himself from the looks of it—standing stiffly in the claim area waiting for him.

"Well, ladies, I hate to leave such...scintillating...company, but that would be my ride over there." He still needed to grab his bag, but hopefully it wouldn't take long. He started for Harriman and wanted to cry when he was followed.

"Major," Harriman said his eyes drifting to the two trailing behind. "You had a good flight I take it?"

"Oh, fine. Just dandy. I need to grab my duffel from baggage claim, then I'll be ready to go. I didn't expect you see you here." Ginger and her mom were shamelessly eavesdropping.

"I needed to take a break and thought you might appreciate a friendly face."

"Oh, you have no idea."

Walter turned to the two women, and put on a pleasant smile. "Thank you for taking care of the Major during the flight, but unfortunately I need to speak to him about some business matters. Enjoy your stay in Denver."

John took the opportunity to flee, grabbing his bag when he saw it appear. Both Ginger and her mom watched him the entire time, their eyes still hot. He shivered, and quickly rejoined Harriman, more than willing to follow him out of the airport.

The car was double-parked in a no parking zone and John couldn't help but laugh. "I did warn you about the full flight, sir," he said, sliding into the driver's seat.

"You did, and thank you from the bottom of my heart for saving me from those two. The stewardess announced early on that I was military, and I knew no peace after that. I had both Ginger and her mother eyeing me like a side of beef for three hours."

Walter chuckled as he pulled out, heading for the highway. "I can imagine. Everything else went well?"

John sighed, slumping down into the seat. "As well as something like that can go. How are things in the SGC? I miss anything exciting?" He couldn’t come right out and say he and McKay had been acting like teenage girls with their first telephones.

"The Generals postponed their return to Washington."

"They did? Why? When?" His gut clenched. This so couldn't be good.

"About 1000. It seems like they want more time with Doctor McKay."

Oh no. God, that could mean any one of a hundred things. John fought to stay calm, to keep his expression that of a concerned friend. "Oh? Any particular reason?"

Walter shrugged. "I haven't been able to ferret that out yet. They've been holding the debriefing on level twelve."

John's eyes widened, and the world spun a little. He wasn't aware he had gone white until Walter was pulling the car over, asking him if he was okay. "Why...why there? What are they accusing him of?"

"Nothing that I'm aware of," Walter said with a frown. "It was a little unusual, but with teams going on missions, I know they were using the main briefing room."

Closing his eyes, John took a few deep breaths. "I've heard he's been...vocal...about whether or not I'm returning to Atlantis. He was worried they were going to use it against him."

"Vocal…yes, you could say that," Harriman muttered. "I was also surprised to find out that I had to re-arrange the Generals' flights this morning."

"From what I heard, they're leaving early was a last minute thing. Why did they decide to go, then change their minds again?" Too many questions, and unfortunately, most of the answers John could think of involved unpleasant things. Talking more to himself, he sighed. "God, what am I going to do if he gets himself fired for being loyal to me?"

Walter shook his head. "I don't know, sir, but I don't think he put himself into the best position."

John stared out the windshield as Harriman started the car again, merging back onto the highway. "Is Weir still at the SGC or has she taken off for leave already?"

"I'm not sure she's taking leave. At least she hasn't mentioned it, sir."

"Mind going there then instead of dropping me off at McKay's place? I think I need to talk to her, and I can catch a ride back with him tonight."

"Whatever you want, sir. I know she's been going through personnel files and would probably enjoy a break."

"Let's do that then. If someone doesn't make her take some downtime, she won't do it, and she needs it as much as the rest of us. I can take care of that while I'm at it."

"So, you want to go to the SGC?"

"I think I need to, yes. Sorry about the change in plans. I don't remember leave being this complicated." John ran a hand through his hair and shot the Sergeant a wry grin.

"It's not a problem, sir. I thought you'd want to once you heard the news."

"Until I'm told otherwise, they're still my responsibility. Someone has to save them both from themselves. At least Beckett had the good sense to leave the country for a few days. His mother will spoil him outrageously and he'll come back well-rested for it."

"That she will. She sounded like a hoot when I spoke with her."

John looked over at the unassuming Airman. "Is there anything or anyone you don't know, and what would it take to bribe you to come to Atlantis?"

He laughed. "Quite a bit, I'm afraid, although I'm sure it would be an adventure."

"I kind of figured, but it was worth a shot. I don't suppose you have a twin somewhere who's looking for adventure in another galaxy?"

"If I find him, I'll recruit him myself. Sorry, Major."

With a grin, John leaned back in the seat and tried to tell his muscles to loosen up. He really hadn't slept well, and between that flight and now Rodney... he could feel the tension headache building at the base of his skull.

The next thing he knew Walter was quietly shaking his arm. "Sir. We're here."

Blinking, John looked around. "I actually fell asleep?"

"You did, sir. And no, you didn't snore. Looked like you needed it. Also, Doctor Weir is expecting you."

Untangling himself from the seatbelt, John shot him an incredulous look. "How do you do that?"

"Do what, sir?"

He waved his hand in a Rodney-esque gesture. "This. Know where everyone is supposed to be and keep them organized."

Walter shrugged. "It's a knack, sir."

"You're sure I can't steal you? I'd be willing to risk the wrath of Landry for you."

He chuckled. "I'm sure, sir. Too many ties here. I appreciate the offer."

Getting free of the car, John grabbed his duffel from the trunk and followed the Airman to the mountain entrance. "I just need to get to know you better. It took me three weeks to learn that Rodney will do almost anything for good chocolate or coffee of any kind. I'll find your weak spot Sergeant."

"Doubtful, but you can try, sir," he said, gesturing for John to enter the elevator first as they headed down. "Doctor Weir is in an office on level 18, right near Doctor Jackson."

John laughed quietly. "Keep being so helpful, and I won't be able to resist trying. Thanks again. I appreciate it."

"My pleasure, sir. And if I hear anything about Doctor McKay I'll find you."

"Thanks." He gave the man a sharp salute, something he didn't give out lightly—he had managed to annoy a whole list of officers with the lazy way he usually shot it off, just crisp enough not to be considered insubordination, but not really clean either.

Walter smiled, inclining his head, his eyes showing his surprise and thanks. When the doors opened, he gestured with his hand. "This is your stop, sir. Just down the hall to the right."

Shouldering his bag, John made his way down the hall. For once he managed to not get lost, finding Elizabeth hunched over the desk. He knocked on the doorframe to get her attention.

She glanced up, a frown becoming a welcoming smile. "John, Sergeant Harriman said you were coming. Come in. How are you?"

Dropping his bag near the door, he slid into her guest chair. "Not bad. I just got in from Philly—I had a chat with Ford's cousin, Lara. How about you? I hear you're still working yourself into the ground." He raised an eyebrow at her.

Her frown returned again as he turned back to her files. "I'm not working myself into the ground. Nine to five isn't exactly hard compared to the hours we've been keeping. And I didn't realize you were going to Philadelphia. How did that go?"

He decided to let the first drop for now. He wasn't going to leave without her tonight—she was coming to dinner with him and Rodney if he had to drag her kicking and screaming. Instead, he slouched further into the chair. "About as well as can be expected. She was pissed I couldn't tell her where he went MIA or what we're doing to try to find him. She asked me not to say anything to his Grandparents, since I guess she's worried the shock will be bad for them."

Elizabeth nodded, her face serious. "There's really nothing else you could have done—here or with the Lieutenant."

He had his doubts about that, but they had already had the conversation a few times. He felt guilty, she didn't think it was his fault—it was territory they had covered a lot in the last year, come to think of it. "What's going on with McKay? When I talked to him last night, he had been called in for an early briefing so the generals could leave, and now Harriman says they cancelled their flights and have him on Level Twelve."

"I don't know. I haven't seen him," she said. "Does it have anything to do with the fuss he made the other day?"

"I know he thought it was when I talked to him last night. And that was before the changes. What's going on, Elizabeth?"

"Honestly I don't know much," she said with a sigh. "They originally scheduled his official debriefing for Friday, but they moved it up two days to today. I thought it was because the Generals wanted to get home before the weekend. No one has been able to give me much of an answer either."

He ran a hand across his face. "He threatened Landry yesterday. Apparently he implied that if they don't let me keep my assignment on Atlantis, he'll resign. God, I never wanted this to happen. I want to go home, but not at that cost."

"Oh…" she said shaking her head. "He didn't."

"He did," John sighed. "Elizabeth, you know the odds are good I won't be going back. There are too many people who don't want to see me command anything larger than a paper bag, and too many more who just want to see a friend or a friend of a friend get a good position."

"Don't start thinking like that, John. We're not done fighting any of those battles yet."

He didn't want to think about how tight his chest got when the people he considered friends were actually willing to stick up for him. So he changed the subject back to Rodney. "Is there anything you can do to save McKay from himself?"

"Right now, no, I don't think so. He got himself into this mess and I have the feeling he has to get himself out."

"Why don't you come to dinner with us tonight? I had Harriman drive me right here, so I have to wait for Rodney to head home. Maybe if we gang up on him, we can head off the full-fledged panic attack."

"Is that even possible?" she asked with an amused smile and chuckle. "And I was serious about leaving at five. I haven't been staying late either. I'd love to join you."

"Awesome. I haven't been out to eat in I don't know how long—unless you count the mess, which I don't. I've been cooking for McKay and I since we got back. Know any good restaurants around here?"

"Several actually," she replied, an eyebrow on the rise and John knew the next comment. "You cook?"

He blushed lightly. Why was that surprising everyone? "I do actually. I forgot how much I enjoy it."

"Good. I'm surprised Rodney doesn't have you locked away somewhere cooking for him day and night." She shook her head. "And I thought you were on leave."

"He's now offered several times to set me up as his personal chef," John laughed. He looked down at the jeans and tee-shirt he was wearing. He held out his arms a little. "I am on leave, see? Civvies."

"And yet you're here."

"I had a couple of civilians who are intent on working all through their own leave time to look in on."

"I thought Rodney was taking time off? I know Carson's already in Scotland."

"I'm dragging McKay out to Vegas next week to make him stop. Until then he's here helping out the science staff. What about you? I know all four of us were given three weeks of leave time."

"My plans changed," she said, glancing down. "I'm going to take some time, but I'll probably stay around the area."

Leaning back, he looked her over carefully. "What happened?"

Her face darkened. "I'd rather not discuss it."

Since he knew she had planned to go see her finance, Simon, he guessed there was trouble. But he didn't want her to sit around brooding either. With an internal sigh, he gave up on his plans for so much sex both he and Rodney sprained something. "Come with us to Vegas then. You need a break from this place, and I haven't booked the tickets yet."

"I don't want to intrude on your vacation. Don't worry about me, John. I'm a big girl."

"You wouldn't be intruding. It's just me and McKay." Ah, the things he did for friendship.

"No, John," she said, shaking her head. "I'd really rather not."

On impulse, he leaned across the table and put a hand over hers. "Don't get lost in work. At least take a few days of downtime. See a movie, shop, anything fun. If not, when we get back, I'll be forced to drag you off against your will, and our ideas of a good time are a little different sometimes."

She smiled weakly and nodded. "I will. I promise."

"Good." He leaned back again. "All right, since I know you need to get back to work, and I want to wait for Rodney, I guess I'll go find the office they assigned him and try to get some paperwork done. On the plane back from Philly I made some notes on requisitions I want to finish up and send over to you."

"I think that can wait until you're actually supposed to be working," she said with a wry smile. "If you want, you can give some of these files a read."

Shrugging he held a hand out. "Sure. Although since I'm waiting for McKay to actually go on leave, I don't have much else to do except the paperwork and cooking, and even Rodney can only eat so much."

She handed him a pile of files. "No shopping? I'm sure you have a list for DVDs and snacks."

"Yeah, but I won't do that until after we get back. No sense jumping the gun." Actually, since he didn't know if he would be going back, there was no sense making the investment early.

Elizabeth nodded. "I'm looking for good candidates who are good at in multiple fields, but especially in diplomacy. See if any stand out."

"What departments do you want them attached to? Science staff? Military?"

"I'm actually looking at people who would liaise with any."

"Sort of like a fourth department? Of civilians who don't slot neatly into one of the three we already have?"

"I'm looking for people who are flexible, but also have very specific skills—albeit in very different competencies. This is a first look through, so pull anyone you think has potential."

Nodding, John began to flip through the stack of files, occasionally setting one aside when it caught his eye. They worked in companionable silence for a while, until someone else in the doorway cleared their throat.

"Doctor, Major?" Sergeant Harriman said cautiously. "Sorry to interrupt."

Since it was Elizabeth's office, other than offering a smile, he deferred to her.

"Sergeant, what can I do for you?" she asked with a smile, her eyes sliding to her watch.

"I promised I'd give Major Sheppard an update when I had one, on Doctor McKay."

John straightened up, glancing at his watch briefly. 1600. Rodney had been with the generals since 0700—he had to be exhausted. "You heard something?"

"They've requested dinner. I don't think he'll be out until at least 1900, if not later."

Only the fact that they had done the same for him, for two days, kept the panic at bay. "Any word on why they postponed leaving and moved the debrief to Level 12?"

"Nothing, sir, I'm sorry."

John sighed softly. “Thanks for letting me know. If you hear anything else, I’d appreciate an update.”

"As soon as I know more I will. Doctor. Major." He nodded his head and was gone a moment later.

John glanced over at Elizabeth. "Well, it might just be you and me for dinner then."

"I can just go home if you want to wait—"

"That's all right. I'll help you finish up here, then leave McKay a voicemail. There's no telling what time the generals will let him leave."

"John…"

"Yes?"

"You don't have to do this."

"Do what? Have dinner with a friend?" He tilted his head a bit. "Rodney's going to be late, and you heard Harriman—they requested dinner. So he'll have already eaten one way or another."

Elizabeth looked at him for a long moment before nodding. "Okay, but I'm buying."

"Not a chance." He gave her a wolfish grin. "Not every day I get to take a beautiful woman out to dinner."

"I insist."

"We can argue over it when we get there." And he could charm the waitress into making sure she gave him the check.

Elizabeth put her hands palm-down on the desk. "No. Either we agree now or I go home."

He raised an eyebrow. "What difference does it make? You make more than me, yes, but I got hazard pay. What else am I going to do with it?"

"Spend it on yourself. I buy, or we don't go. It's very simple. Take it or leave it." She had a twinkle in her eye that hadn't been there before, the corner of her mouth lifting in a partial smile.

His lips twitched. "All right. It's not every day I get taken to dinner by a beautiful woman either."

"Good. So what are you in the mood for?" she asked, sitting back down, her files forgotten for the moment.

"I made pasta the other night, so just about anything else sounds fine. Hell, as long as it isn't an MRE, I'll be ecstatic." He leaned all the way back in the chair, stretching his legs out and crossing them at the ankles.

"I know a few good steakhouses, also a Mexican place. Sushi is so-so. I haven't found a place I love yet. Asian? Thai?"

John groaned. "Okay, I wasn't actually hungry yet. I haven't had any of those in so long...what's your favorite?"

"I don't have one."

"So what are you in the mood for? If you're buying I can be generous and let you choose." He grinned.

"I don't know," she said with a sigh. "I'm really not that picky. I've eaten some…strange things over the years, so I can find something to eat anywhere. Pick something and I'll find a restaurant."

"How about Thai then? Everything else I can usually make myself, but I have yet to try Thai and not have it end in disaster."

"Great. There's a wonderful place downtown. I'll call and make reservations. Is five-thirty okay, or do you want it later?"

"That'll be perfect." He picked up the stack of files he had been going through. "Just enough time to finish these up before we go."

Elizabeth turned to her computer, clicking her mouse and typing for several minutes before she picked up the phone, dialing an outside line. Listening, John heard her make reservations at a something Thai restaurant before she turned back to the files. When 1700 rolled around, Elizabeth was already closing down for the night, packing away files and folders.

John stood, stretching his muscles, feeling vertebrae pop into place, He dug his own phone out of his pocket. "I'm going to leave a message for McKay. He knew I got back in today, so the last thing I want to do is have him decide that since I'm not there when he gets home, my plane crashed in a fiery ball or something."

Elizabeth chuckled. "And that's exactly what he'd think, too. I have to run to the ladies room. Should I meet you at the elevators?"

He nodded. "Sounds like a plan." After she left, he dialed Rodney's number, leaning against the desk as he waited for voicemail to pick up. He smiled slightly at the snarky message, and the way it made his stomach buzz in anticipation every time he heard it. "Hey, it's me. I had Harriman bring me straight to the SGC from the airport, and hung out with Elizabeth all day doing paperwork. They said you guys had requested dinner, so I'm going to grab something with her, and she'll drop me off at home. See you then." When he hung up, he stuffed it back in his pocket, and grabbed his bag, getting to the elevator early. He leaned against the wall to wait.

"Major Sheppard? I'm glad I caught you," Harriman said rushing down the hall.

John stood, straightening. "Just barely, Sergeant. I'm waiting for Doctor Weir and we were headed out. What's up? Any news?"

"None. I know Doctor Weir has been leaving at 1700, but I wasn't sure if you would be staying or not. If you'd like, I can let Doctor McKay know you left once he comes out of his debrief."

John flashed him a real smile. "If you're still here, that would be great, thank you. Don't they ever let you go home? We have good work hours on Atlantis you know."

"I work when I have to, sir. Some days are shorter than others. With the Generals here, I want to make sure things go smoothly. I'll be here until they leave."

John reached out and put a hand on the man's shoulder, squeezing briefly before letting go. "I know I've said it, but thank you."

"It's not a problem. I'll make sure Doctor McKay gets home as well."

John nodded. "Even if they're mainlining him coffee, he'll be wiped out. If he can't drive, have someone call my cell and I'll come get him."

"Don't worry about it, Major. We'll make sure the Doctor gets home."

"Sergeant Harriman," Elizabeth said, walking up. "News?"

"Thanks." John caught Elizabeth's eye and shook his head. "The good Sergeant is offering to look after our wayward geek, make sure he gets home okay tonight."

"It's going to be that late?"

"Unknown, ma'am, but most likely."

John shook his head. "They grilled me for two days straight, so it's not really surprising. Especially if they need to get back to their regular postings as soon as possible."

Sergeant Harriman bid them goodnight as they got into the elevator, Elizabeth continuing the conversation. "I don't know. Carson's debrief and mine were much shorter."

"Yours were pretty standard I'm guessing. You know why they grilled me, and Rodney's the only person in two galaxies who's an expert in all things Ancient tech right now. Not to mention he's been pissing them off the last few days, so they'll probably make a point of making it as uncomfortable as possible."

She shook her head as they stepped out, making the transfer to the second bank of elevators. "I don't know. That just doesn't make sense to me. Why drive away the one expert they have?"

"No one ever said the military made sense." John laughed.

The restaurant wasn’t far, and much to John’s both annoyance and amusement, Elizabeth made a point of telling the waitress at the beginning of the meal that she was paying and under no circumstances was John to get the check. He gave in as gracefully as possible, and they had a nice meal.

It was nice to hear her laugh. He made a point to try and bring it out of her as often as possible.

She dropped him off back at Rodney’s place, which was still dark. It was 2100, so he hoped Rodney wouldn’t be much longer. He occupied himself getting unpacked again and wandering around. There were a few dishes in the sink, so he did them and put them away. Finally at a loss, he went and laid on the couch, flipping channels until he found a cheesy 80s movie.

He didn’t realize he dozed off again until there was suddenly a warm body pushing down on top of him.

Arms wrapped around him, holding him tightly.

John slid his hands around, pushing them under Rodney's shirt. "Hey. They finally let you go."

"Finally."

"How did it go?" It was a bad angle, but he used his fingers on the tight muscles in his lover's back, trying to loosen him up some.

"Horrible. Absolutely horrible. I never want to do that again."

Rodney had buried his head in John's shoulder, so he kissed along his neck. "I know. Are you done at least? Or do they want you back?"

"I'm on leave…vacation…whatever for two weeks starting immediately. After that, I have to go back and finish up personnel reviews for new expedition members. They'll let me know then if they're renewing my contract."

"Shit." John tightened his grip, pulling Rodney closer. "I'm so sorry. But they'll be idiots if they don't renew it. They're just trying to scare you, force you to back down."

"I…can we just not talk about it?"

"Whatever you want. I'm here. I'll book vacation tickets in the morning, and we are getting the hell out of Colorado for as long as we can."

"Whatever you want as long as it's not here."

John held him for a while, then eased them both up. "Come on. I don't think either of us slept well last night. Let's go to bed."

Rodney nodded, slowly lifting himself up, John finally seeing the sheer exhaustion on his lover's face.

He led him into the bedroom, and quietly told Rodney to stand still. He got him undressed, stripping him to the skin, then shucking his own clothes, before easing them both into bed. He kissed Rodney deeply, trying to give him some comfort. "Whatever happens, we're in it together, okay?"

"Okay," Rodney said, nodding, shifting so he could wrap his arms around John as he settled in, head on Sheppard's chest, their legs tangled together.

John hugged him tight, stroking his back lightly until he felt Rodney relax into sleep. With a kiss to the top of his lover's head, he followed not far behind.

***

Rodney woke slowly, his stomach's rumbling finally pulling him from the sleep of the battered, bruised, and exhausted.

Opening his eyes, he glanced at the clock, blinking his eyes twice to make sure it was right.

10:00

He hadn't slept that long in ages and usually for good reason. Nauseous? Check. Nervous? Check. Cold and clammy skin? Check Rapid heartbeat? Check.

Shaking John, he tried to get him to wake.

"Wha?" John's hazel eyes blinked at him sleepily.

"I need juice."

"What? Juice? What time is it?" John came awake all at once in the field, but for some reason when they were in bed together, it took him a few minutes for the synapses to start firing.

"Ten in the morning," Rodney said, feeling his hand where it laid against John shaking a little. "I need juice. I'd get it if I could."

"Shit." John woke the rest of the way up and was already moving. "What time did you eat dinner last night?"

"When it came in. I don’t know the time. There was no clock in there."

John was out the door, returning a moment later with a cup and the whole jug of apple juice. He poured some, and handed it to Rodney. "Will that hold you a few minutes while I make something more substantial?"

Rodney nodding, shifting up on the bed so he was sitting upright, leaning back against a pillow that was up against the headboard. He took the cup in shaking hands, sipping it. He finished it and closed his eyes, letting John take it from him. "Give me a few minutes and I'll be okay."

"I'm going to make breakfast." He heard the sound of liquid pouring, and the cup was pressed back in his hands. "Yell if it doesn't start to get better in a minute."

"I will," Rodney said, breathing evenly as John walked away, the sound of pots and pans rattling in the kitchen. A few minutes later and the shakiness faded along with most of the symptoms. The quick fix was good for a short time, but food would be better. Opening his eyes, he swung his feet over the edge of the bed. Grabbing the apple juice bottle, he padded into the kitchen, the smell of breakfast in the air.

John looked up as he came in. "Pancakes okay? It was the fastest and heaviest thing I could think to make."

"Fine. Anything with protein would be good, too. That'll stay longer. And thanks," he said, sitting down at the kitchen table, the wood cool against his naked body.

John went and rummaged in his freezer, coming out triumphantly with a package of bacon. He started heating the pan, tossing the meat in a minute later. He took a quick trip away from the pans to press a kiss to Rodney's lips. "Good morning."

"Morning and sorry. I should have had something last night when I got home."

"You were tired, and it was late. It's okay. I would have cooked breakfast anyway." He padded back over to the stove.

"I know better," Rodney said, sipping at his juice, already feeling a hundred times better.

"Hey, you had a shitty day. It entitles you to forget about stuff like that. This won't be much longer."

"No, it doesn't."

John grabbed plates out of the cabinet, and slid the two pancakes in the pan onto it. He spread a thin layer of butter on them, then drizzled maple syrup on top. Pulling a few pieces of the hot bacon out, he set those on the plate and brought it over. "That should hold you while I make more."

"John?"

"Yeah?" He looked back over his shoulder from where he was pouring batter for the next two pancakes into the pan.

"Thank you," Rodney said quietly, offering John a grateful smile.

John's face lit up with a happy smile. "You're very welcome. Enjoy."

Rodney dug in, making happy noises as the pancakes, butter, and syrup made everything perfect. John joined him at the table when he was about halfway done. "Oh, my god. This is good," McKay muttered, mouth full of food.

John watched him from under his eyelashes, a shy grin hovering about his lips. It made him look a lot younger than his thirty-eight years. "Glad you like it. There's more batter, and I cooked the whole pack of bacon, so let me know if you want more."

"Me turn down bacon?"

Laughing, John rose and grabbed the plate the rest of the cooked bacon was on. He brought it over and set it down between them. "Feeling better?"

"Mmm. Much."

"Good. I'll have to see what you have that I can make for lunch and dinner. I had planned to run to the store while you worked today, but since I get you all to myself, I'll see if I can't work with what we've got."

"I'm apparently not going anywhere," Rodney said, reaching for the bacon.

"You'll be coming, but not much going, no," John gave him a goofy grin.

"What, you have plans to keep me naked all day or something?" Rodney asked, an eyebrow on the rise.

"Any particular reason you need clothes?"

"People generally get dressed during the day," Rodney commented. He was about to continue when the doorbell rang. "And, of course, for visitors."

John dashed into the guest room, calling out to the door to hang on a sec. He emerged from the hall a moment later pulling on a pair of sweats. Opening the door, Rodney heard him make small talk with someone. After a moment, the door closed and his lover came back in bouncing on his toes. "It came! Roger said he'd expedite it for me, but I didn't expect it this fast."

"What came?" Rodney eyed the large package in John's hands.

John set it on the counter, grabbing a knife to slit through the tape. A moment later, he was pulling out something black. He was making two piles of whatever it was.

And it smelled…familiar. "Is that leather? What did you buy?"

John bounced over to him, pushing one of the piles into his hands. "Go try those on. They should fit perfectly, since I gave them all of your measurements."

"Try…" Rodney shook his head, letting the leather something straighten out until he recognized what it was. "You bought me leather pants? What am I going to do with these?"

"And a top to match—it's mesh, but its really soft. Roger only carries the best stuff. Go try it on. I want to see if mine fit too."

"Are you sure you're feeling okay?" he asked instead as John handed him the top. "I'm not going to wear this."

"We're going out when we're in Vegas, which means you need club clothes. Just go try them on!" He disappeared into the other room with his own set.

Grumbling, Rodney got up, moving into his bedroom. Looking over the clothes, he shook his head. Only John.

Hearing something at the door, he turned catching sight of Sheppard already changed, dressed in head-to-toe black—tight leather pants that molded to his body and a slightly see-thru top—not quite translucent and not opaque either.

Wow.

A glint of something caught his eye—two tiny rings, one in each of John's nipples, were just barely visible through the top. "Hey, you aren't changed yet. Come on, I want to see you in them." He glided in, looking like sex on two legs.

"Your nipples are pierced?" Rodney looked up at John, knowing his eyes were wide and huge.

"Yes, although I can't wear anything in them very often. I didn't even have a set anymore—I had Roger throw a few in for me. I always order stuff like this from him, so he knows what I like."

"Roger?"

John waved at the clothes. "Put them on. I want to see how hot you'll look. Roger owns a little clothing store in California. Off the beaten path a bit, but he does pretty well. Leather really doesn't fit right unless it's made to your measurements, so I always call him when I need a new pair."

"You order stuff like this on a regular basis?"

"Often enough. I used to order a few things a year from him. I lived near his shop for a while, so we got to be friends, and he gives me a good price and quick service."

"Friends."

John came over and wrapped himself around Rodney's back, working a leg incased in slick material between his own, brushing against Rodney's dick slightly. He could feel the slight rasp where the nipple rings were being pressed into his back. "He's straight, has a wife. She makes amazing cupcakes. So yes, friends."

Oh, god. John felt good, but he always did. This time though…wow.

His lover leaned in, whispering in his ear. "Try on your stuff. I want to see this hot ass encased in black leather—I bet it will show it off perfectly."

"It's going to look stupid," Rodney protested, but reached for the pants, John letting him go.

"No, it won't, trust me. No one looks stupid in leather if it's done right, and Roger knows how to do it right."

Sighing, Rodney finally stepped into the pants, pulling them up. They clung to his ass, but were roomier in the thighs and legs—more a straight leg or boot cut—than John's. Zipping them closed and buttoning the top, he moved to the shirt. It was short-sleeved and much more translucent than John's. It fit him perfectly, skimming his sides without pulling and tugging.

Glancing down, he didn't recognize his own body. He felt like he was trying to be something other than himself.

Behind him, John sucked in a breath. "You look amazing."

"No. I look like a chubby, overweight geek trying to be someone else."

John's eyes were sweeping his body, and his eyes had gone dark with need. "You look like sex. They fit you perfectly, showing off those beautiful curves."

Rodney blushed, but shook his head. "I look ridiculous."

John met his eyes, his gaze steady. "No. You don't. Not at all."

"I feel…this isn't me."

"Not all the time, no. But I don't wear this stuff all the time either." He got a speculative look. "We'll accessorize later, and I think you'll be surprised at the results. God you're hot."

Rodney felt his face flush again and he glanced down. "No, I'm not. You on the other hand…"

"Mmmm." John was circling him now, taking in all the angles. "I can't decide if I want to see you wearing this outfit around for a while, or if I want to rip it off you and lick you all over."

Rodney turned, unsure if he liked John stalking him like this. "We were in the middle of breakfast you know."

"Maybe I want to bend you over and tie you down so I can admire how the pants set off your ass." John started moving the other direction, circling back around.

"John…" Rodney moaned a little, his body reacting to Sheppard's voice, his appearance, the smell of leather in the air.

"I could just unbutton them and pull out your dick, suck you down, taste the leather mixed in with your musk."

"Oh…breakfast, John. We were eating breakfast," Rodney said, turning, trying to keep John in sight. Maybe then he wouldn't surprise him.

"Stop moving. Stay there, facing the bed."

"What?" Rodney paused for a moment, before moving to look at John, the other man's hands on his shoulders preventing him from doing so.

John walked him forward, pressing at his upper body until he was bent over, hands flat on the bed. "Don't move."

Rodney closed his eyes for a moment before glancing over his shoulder. "Why? What are you doing? We were eating breakfast."

"I'm admiring. Breakfast will still be there when I'm done."

Rodney sighed, turning back, his head dropping down to hang between his arms.

John hummed his approval. He put his hands on Rodney's ass and began to knead it, his body temperature heating up the leather.

McKay drew back as John's hands dug into the bruise he'd left the other day, but John's hand on his hip pulled him back into place.

"I said don't move."

"I'm bruised because of you and that hurt."

"You're marked. There's a difference. And it's my mark."

He sighed again. There was no arguing with John when he was like this and in reality, he didn't mind it.

John continued to run his hands all over Rodney's butt, occasionally pushing on the mark, then smoothing his thumb over it. "Such a perfect ass. It deserves to be fucked on a regular basis. Do you wish I was inside you right now, Rodney? Do you wish I was pushing inside, filling you, claiming you?"

Groaning, Rodney dropped his head again. "You know I like that."

"Two mornings ago."

"Too long."

John's hands came around, deftly unbuttoned the pants, unzipped them. They were pulled down just far enough to expose his ass, and free his already-hard dick. "Such a perfect ass," John whispered as he leaned down to kiss it.

Rodney rocked back against John, wanting more.

John's hands came back to his hips, holding him still. He started covering the skin in feather-light kisses, more blown breath against him than any real pressure.

Moaning in frustration, Rodney clenched his hands in the bedcovers. "Come on already."

"You should know by now that you won't get what you want until I'm ready to give it to you." Lips were pressed against his entrance.

"Doesn't stop me from demanding it though," Rodney said, panting as John's tongue rimmed him.

"No. Pushy bottom. It's one of the things I love about you." John pushed his tongue in further.

"Oh, god," Rodney moaned, feeling his legs buckle a little.

John rimmed him for a while, until he was panting for more. Then he pulled away, with a murmured command to stay put. Rodney heard him rummaging in the bedside table, presumably for lube.

Trembling with need, Rodney didn't have much energy to do anything except stand still, waiting for John to return, anticipating the slide of a finger in his ass.

A light kiss was pressed to the bruise. "Can you take me without prep?"

"I…I don't know."

"If it hurts, tell me." He felt the blunt tip of John pushing against him, moving slow, fractions of inches at a time.

Rodney felt himself tensing, stretching, the discomfort painful—and not in a good way. "Ow…no."

John stopped, pulling back. He leaned in and kissed Rodney's back. "A plug is high on the list of things I want to buy you—keep you stretched and ready for me whenever I want to take you." A much smaller digit was pushed inside him slowly.

"A…really?" Rodney said, pushing back against John's hand, the lubed finger sliding in easily.

"Oh, yeah. A few different kinds I think, depending on what we need at the time." He stretched Rodney until a second finger could slip in easily.

Rodney was moaning, happy sounds to encourage John to keep going.

John was panting behind him, and this time, when the fingers were replaced by heat and hardness, it didn't hurt.

Dropping his head, chin hitting his chest, Rodney moaned low and deep as he felt John slide in, until he felt leather and metal against his ass and upper thighs. "Oh…so full…feels so good."

Two days and leather pants was apparently enough to fracture John's usual control. After a few easy strokes to adjust his angle and let Rodney get used to him, he picked up the pace, moving hard and fast, hitting Rodney's prostate every time.

Holding on, Rodney tried to widen his stance, but with his own pants bunched around his thighs, he didn't have much room to move. His body shuddered and trembled—this time from the need building within. Apart from the moans, whimpers, and very happy, pleasure-filled sounds from both of them, silence filled the room as they each clung to their desire, trying to ride it higher and higher.

"Come, Rodney. I want to feel you."

Praying he didn't make too much of a mess on the newest addition to his wardrobe, he growled as his cock pulsed, John riding him through his orgasm as Rodney's muscles clenched and relaxed around him.

John held on for another few thrusts, and then Rodney felt the additional heat that meant John was filling him. His lover moaned Rodney's name, leaning heavily against him as he recovered.

His trembling arms held the additional weight for a few seconds before he collapsed forward onto the bed—and the wet spot—John covering him, panting in his ear as he held on.

Pulling out, John rolled off, canting his hips up enough to fasten his pants. "Zippers and going commando don't really mix." He helped Rodney roll over and inspected the pants—amazingly they had managed to not get them dirty. John had pushed them down far enough to be out of the line of fire.

The shirt, however, was another story. "No, we can't have any damage to your parts."

John tugged at the shirt, grinning. "Pull this off, and I'll wash it. All this stuff is machine-washable, even the leather, if you know what you're doing. And I'm not sure who would be more devastated if I had parts damage—you or me."

Rodney sat up, letting John pull the shirt off his body, leaving him barely dressed. "I'm not sure either," he admitted with a smirk. "We're both rather fond of them."

John rolled until he could catch Rodney's mouth with his own. "I believe we have breakfast to finish, too. And since we're talking clothes, we might as well go out and buy a bit more. I've seen what you wear—you need some new stuff."

"What's wrong with my clothes?" Rodney asked once John backed off, pulling the pants from his legs and folding them carefully before he put them on the nearby chair.

"Nothing for everyday wear. But we're going out at night in Vegas, so you need some stuff you can wear." John pulled his own shirt off, then shimmied out of the pants, folding both and putting them with Rodney's.

McKay's eyes were drawn back to the small hoops in John's nipples. "Can I…?" he said, gesturing to Sheppard's chest.

"Hmmm?" John looked down, then back up and grinned. "Of course. When I have them in, my sensitivity is increased, so be gentle." He moved to stand between Rodney's legs.

Rodney's touch was light, but he had to feel them, see them up close. "These are…wow," he said, glancing up with wide eyes, his fingers lightly holding one of the rings. "Doesn't it hurt?"

John sucked in a breath, panting a little as Rodney touched them. "Doesn't hurt, no. Just the opposite. You know how much I like having them played with... this makes it more intense."

"Huh."

John arched into his fingers a bit when he touched the rings lightly. When he tried tugging them gently, John keened, his dick twitching in a valiant effort to rejoin the fun. "Oh. Oh god. Rodney..."

"This could be fun."

"Now you see why I...like them so much."

Rodney pressed a kiss to each one before settling his hands on John's hips. "Is that why you asked me about it…before?"

John panted, leaning into Rodney a bit, his head dropped down to rest on his chest. "Yes. When you add a chain into the mix—it's amazing. Even just wearing them regularly I tend to stay on the edge of arousal. You'd probably like it, but it does hurt when you first get it done, I won't lie to you about that."

"I…I don't know."

"Think about it. If you want to get it done, I know I'll enjoy it, but if not, you can just play with mine." He tipped Rodney's face up for a kiss.

"You'd really like it?"

An eyebrow went up. "How much time do I spend playing with your nipples, and what have we learned about my attraction to shiny things?"

"I…yeah, you do like that, but on me? Really?"

Laughing softly, John kissed him again. "Yes, I would like them on you, but I like you without them too."

Rodney enjoyed the feeling of John for a long moment before pulling back. "You're going to force me into the mall, aren't you?"

"I think so. You really need some decent clothes for going out. Even if we just get you a few pairs of nice jeans and a few tops that actually show off your body, instead of all those layers you usually do."

"What's wrong with how I dress?"

John shook his head. "Nothing most of the time. But I plan to take you out at night while we're there. A few shows, a few clubs, stuff like that. You need something a little nicer than cargo pants and two T-shirts.

Rodney huffed, leaning against John's shoulder. "You're serious about this whole going-out thing. You know I don’t do well in places like that."

John's hands snaked around to Rodney's back, rubbing it lightly. "You'll do fine. You really do need to get out more. I didn't find you just to lose you to a heart attack at forty from stress."

"Stress and I are friends."

John blew a huff of amusement into his hair. "It will still be there when we get back."

Sighing, Rodney nodded. "Fine. What's next then?"

"Well, you're going to go finish breakfast, and I'm going to book everything. Then we're going shopping."

"What, now that the pancakes are soggy?"

"I can always make more."

"Coffee might be good. I think I ate enough for now."

"Coffee is your department." John pulled away, running a thumb along Rodney's jaw before he moved completely out of range. "My computer will still get Internet access from here, right? I can get our airfare, hotel, and the shows all taken care of."

"It'll work anywhere in the apartment. Signal should be plenty strong," Rodney said, standing, tilting his head to look at John for a moment.

"Perfect. I'll come sit in the kitchen with you then." Pausing, John quirked an eyebrow. "Something wrong?"

"This is just so…domestic," Rodney shrugged. "I…I never thought this was something I'd have."

"Considering our primary residence is in another galaxy filled with space vampires who look at us as a food source, when we're on Earth, domestic peace is the name of the game."

Rodney dropped his gaze for a moment, pointing over his shoulder with his thumb. "I'm going to make some coffee."

Since he wasn't looking, he wasn't expecting John to suddenly be there, a light touch on his chin forcing him to look up. "I told you I'm not just in this for the sex. You're mine—all of you. I know most of the time we can't risk this, but when we can, I plan to take full advantage of it."

"Well, depending on what happens over the next two weeks, this might be all we have."

John's thumb brushed his lips. "We aren't going down that path yet. If it happens, we'll deal with it."

Rodney sighed again, nodding. "Fine. Coffee. Clothes. Shopping. Sex?"

John leaned down to lick the path his thumb had taken, pushing briefly into Rodney's mouth. "That last is a given." He pulled away with a grin and sauntered down the hall.

Chuckling, Rodney shook his head, but followed John into the kitchen, moving to the counter and the coffee pot. He set up the pot almost without thought, hands moving instinctively. "A shower would probably be a good thing, too," he said, glancing back as John settled at the kitchen table, laptop open before him.

“We’ll shower before we get dressed.” John was intent on the screen for the next several minutes as the coffee brewed. “Okay, I booked us a suite at the Venetian this Friday through the following Wednesday—so twelve days. I got us first class air fare—no way in HELL am I flying coach again if I can help it—and I got us tickets to see the Cirque show Zumanity, Penn & Teller, the Blue Man Group, and Mystere. How does that sound? Did I miss anything?”

"Wow. You were busy and that was quick," Rodney said, sliding around to stand behind John.

"I kinda already knew what I wanted. The only reason I hadn't booked anything was I didn't have the dates yet. Have a printer anywhere? I want to print out all these confirmations, otherwise we'll never remember what I actually booked."

"Yeah. It's all wireless. Just hit print. It's over by the desk."

John leaned his head back to look at Rodney upside-down. He reached up and pulled him down for a messy, awkwardly angled kiss. "Have I told you how much I love it that my boyfriend is a total geek?"

"What? I am not. It just makes sense to have everything wireless instead of tripping over all of the cords."

Grinning, John let him stand back up, and printed out all the various confirmations. "Speaking of flights, did I tell you about Ginger and her Mom and the flight from Hell?"

"No. I don't think we talked about much last night. How did your dinner with Elizabeth go?" Rodney moved to the side, letting John get up and head into the living room to grab the papers off the printer.

"We had a good time—she needed a night out badly. She wouldn't talk about it, but I get the feeling something's up with that Simon guy. She canceled her vacation time and is staying around here, although she is at least working decent hours. I told her if she doesn't at least go spend a little time doing something fun, we'll drag her out when we get back."

"As much as I hate to suggest this…we can invite her to come along to Vegas."

"I already did, and she turned me down. So points for being a gentleman, but our week and a half of debauchery is still on."

Rodney looked at John with wide eyes as he walked back in—still naked and papers in hand. "You asked her?"

"I couldn't not. She looked like she needed a vacation, and I hated the thought of her here by herself. But she didn't take me up on it. Wouldn't even let me pay for dinner—she's sneaky when she wants to be."

"You're just realizing that now?"

"I always knew she was sneaky, I just never had it used against me. She's ruthless in the actual application of sneakiness." John stowed the pages in a basket on the counter for the moment, then stretched, reaching his arms way above his head, making his whole body ripple—and he seemed completely unaware of what it looked like. "All right, let me get the kitchen cleaned up, then we can get going."

"Leave it. The cleaning-person should be stopping by, I think."

John raised an eyebrow. "You actually want to leave this for the poor woman? It's a mess."

"I pay her to clean."

John gave him a long look, then shrugged. "I can always do it this afternoon if she leaves it for us."

"She won't. Never has before."

"Shower then?"

Rodney nodded. "That would be a good thing."

John ducked into the guest room to grab some clothes before following Rodney back into the main bedroom. "You know, I should grab a few new things for myself too since we're going to be there. Most of my civilian stuff is still in storage."

"You could ask them to get it out of storage, you know," Rodney said, digging through his drawers, pulling out clothes.

"It's all in unlabeled boxes. I could spend days going through it and still not find what I'm looking for. I haven't had anything more than a room on base and a storage facility that gets moved from time to time in probably five or six years. I don't even know what I have in there anymore."

"And what moron packed your stuff?"

John gave him a sheepish look as he started the shower. "It was never really packed, per se. When my ex and I split, I just dumped my stuff in boxes and rented the storage space—I was leaving for deployment in a few days, and figured I'd organize it when I got back. But then I kept getting bounced around, and then there was Afghanistan, and whenever I had something I wanted to keep I just sent it back to the unit...So yeah, I have no idea what's in there now."

"Oh…" Rodney said, glancing up. "You probably need some stuff, then."

"Yeah, at this point, it's usually easier to just buy new stuff than go through what I have. One of these days, when I retire, I'll spend a week or two sorting it all out."

"When you retire," Rodney muttered, shaking his head, dumping two shirts and his boxers on the bed.

"Considering I don't actually have anywhere to put it right now, what's the point? It would be hard to explain why I'm moving all my stuff into your apartment, and I don't really feel the need to go get a separate place." John's voice got muffled, and the sound of the water changed—John was already in the shower.

"No, no point," Rodney yelled so John could hear him over the water. And besides, knowing John, he wouldn't be the one actually going through his stuff in the end.

Scratching the back of his neck, he eyed the bed, knowing he should probably strip it. Tugging on a pair of boxers, he sighed. After moving his clothes to the chair—on top of the leather stuff—he worked quickly, stripping the sheets and blankets off and walking them to the laundry room, leaving them in a pile next to the washing machine.

"Rodney?" John's voice floated out to him.

"What?" he replied, as he moved to putter around the kitchen, cleaning out the coffee pot and eyeing the dishes he'd told John to leave. He was right. It was a mess and they probably shouldn't leave it behind.

"Come here."

"In a minute."

A few seconds later, a very wet John walked out, eyeing him. He padded over to take Rodney's elbow and steer him back towards the bedroom.

"What are you doing? You're dripping all over!"

"I had to fetch my wayward partner. If you don't want me dripping on the floor, don't make me wait for you in the shower."

"I was…" Rodney gestured toward the bed as John pulled him through the bedroom. "…straightening up. I figured I'd jump in when you were done."

"When have I ever let you shower alone when we're together?" When they got to the bathroom, John turned and tugged Rodney's boxers off in one graceful movement.

"I thought it would be quicker the other way," Rodney protested, but stepped out of his boxers when John tugged him forward.

"We're on vacation. I don't care about quick." John pushed him to walk into the shower first—it's a good thing he had almost unlimited hot water in this complex. John stepped in behind him, wrapping his arms around Rodney's waist and kissing his shoulder. "If we went for quick, we would miss this."

"And knowing us, we'll never end up leaving and the cleaning lady will walk in on us," he grumbled.

"We aren't going to do anything except get clean right now. But I like touching you, Rodney. You should be used to that by now."

He sighed quietly, laying his hands on top of John's. "I know."

John pulled him back, so they were both leaning against the wall, Rodney's back still against John's chest, the hot water hitting them. "Tell me what you're thinking about."

Rodney shrugged. "Nothing, everything. I’m hoping I didn't leave the water on in the kitchen."

John turned him so they were facing each other, capturing his mouth, hands pulling Rodney's hips closer. "Something is bothering you. You don't get this quiet unless there's something wrong."

Once John pulled back, Rodney moved his hand, tracing a path down John's shoulder, his eyes fixed on the skin. "I don't know."

"I'm going to assume it's not me, or us. So the SGC? Vegas? Shopping?"

"I don't know, John. Can we just leave it?"

John moved a hand to cup his face. "As corny as this will sound, I don't want to see you unhappy. We don't get a chance to be together like this very often, I want you to enjoy it."

"I am. Really," Rodney said, finally looking up and meeting John's gaze. "Sometimes I just need to…process things, that's all."

John held his eyes for several heartbeats. "We are partners, you know. You do have a say in things, and you are allowed to express an opinion if you don't like what I'm doing."

"I know that and do you honestly think that I'd not say something if I had an issue about what you were doing?"

"No, but I wanted to make sure that wasn't the problem." John kissed him again, deeply this time. "Let me get you cleaned up."

"I can wash myself, you know. You don't have to do this all the time."

John had grabbed a washcloth, and traded places with Rodney so he could move. "Yes, I do."

Rolling his eyes, he leaned against the shower wall. He watched for a few moments before closing his eyes as John worked—washing him carefully, loving the feeling of John's hands on his body.

When John turned him around to get his back, he spent some time massaging the muscles, using the hot water to his advantage to get the worst of the knots out.

Rodney sighed, pillowing his head on his upraised arms, leaning into the wall as Sheppard dug his fingers into his tense muscles.

As John started to ease off, lips followed behind fingers, each muscle group being soothed and caressed.

"Mmmm."

"Close your eyes if they aren't already." John moved back up, his fingers digging into Rodney's hair, washing it and massaging his scalp at the same time.

Rodney could feel the tension fleeing from his body, leaving behind a strange sense of calm and peace. How was it possible that John could make him feel like this? It happened every time Sheppard touched him—even just the simple stroke of a finger against his skin. But here like this…Rodney could almost forget that the world apart from John existed.

John rinsed away the shampoo, continuing to run his fingers through the hair for a while. The pressure eventually lessened, and then his fingers disappeared altogether, the water shutting off a moment later. John guided Rodney out of the stall, and carefully dried him off, then pulled him back into the bedroom where he dressed him, all the while pressing light kisses into any handy patch of skin he could reach.

Sighing in contentment, Rodney lifted his head and opened his eyes, looking at John, watching him. When he made a movement to speak, John's finger was on his lips, stilling them.

He replaced his finger with his lips for a moment and then pulled away, kissing his way across Rodney's jaw line before pulling away. He pushed Rodney to sit on the bed, then grabbed his own clothes, pulling them on slowly, letting Rodney just watch the way his lean muscles moved.

Rodney managed to grab John's hand as he finished tugging his black t-shirt into place, pulling Sheppard down so he could kiss him again, whispering his thanks and apologies against his lips.

John shushed him again, deepening the kiss and leaning Rodney back into the bed. He kept the whole thing lazy, meant to comfort and relax, not arouse, something Rodney hadn't known was possible before John.

With his arms around John, Rodney let himself fall into the sensation, his hands kneading the muscles in Sheppard's back, the taste of pancakes, maple syrup, and coffee still in his mouth.

John let him drift for a while, lost in the feelings his lover was bringing out. Slowly, he brought him back again, letting the kisses get lighter, until he was propped up on his elbows, just looking down at Rodney, a soft, affectionate smile on his face.

Rodney returned it shyly, a blush warming his cheeks.

John's smile widened, and he finally broke the silence he had wrapped them in, although he kept his voice low. "That's a good look for you."

He blushed harder, but didn't look away. "You put it there."

"Even better." One hand came up to trace the line of color across Rodney's cheeks.

"We should probably get moving if we're actually going to go on this ridiculous shopping trip of yours."

John leaned down to kiss him one last time before sitting up, reaching down a hand to pull Rodney up behind him. "Come on, it'll be fun. You've lost weight in the last year anyway, so you need stuff that fits you better."

"My clothes fit me fine," he huffed as he regained his feet.

"Baggy does not mean they fit."

"I refuse to wear clothes that are glued to my body," Rodney complained, reaching into a drawer to grab a pair of socks before he went in search of his shoes.

"That's the other end of the extreme, and no, I didn't plan on taking you there either. It's one thing to show off your assets a bit, but I don't want the world ogling you. We'll just get you a few things that fit."

Rodney glanced up, exasperation on his face. "You're not going to drop this, are you?"

"What's the big deal?" John was pulling on his own shoes. "A couple pairs of jeans, a few nicer tops, that's it."

"The thought of actually going into a mall…I think I'd rather face the Wraith."

John laughed. "Okay, I'll give you that one. But it's the middle of the week, so the crowds shouldn't be bad. And if they are, I promise to drop it. Deal?"

"There had better be a Starbucks. That would be you're only saving grace."

"I looked it up on the Internet. On the lowest level. I'm not stupid enough to take you to a mall with no coffee."

"When did you have time to do that?" Rodney glanced up from tying his shoes.

His lover flushed slightly. "I did it a few days ago while I was waiting for you to come home."

Rodney snorted and shook his head. "Do you know where it is?"

"Yup! I got the directions at the same time. It's," John waved his hand in the general direction of the kitchen, "that way somewhere."

"Oh, god. And you're going to insist on driving, too, aren't you?"

"Since I already have the address programmed into the GPS in my car, it does make more sense to have me drive."

"Fine," Rodney said, straightening. "Let's get this nightmare on the road already."

John just grinned, grabbing his wallet off the dresser and sticking it in his pocket before sauntering out the door.

Shaking his head, Rodney followed John out—after grabbing his own wallet. This was going to be…interesting.

***

Mindful of Rodney's last freak-out when he had been caught speeding, John kept himself in check on the drive to the mall, staying within fifteen miles per hour of the posted speed limit. Glad for the GPS, he didn't even get them lost. Fortunately, the parking lot was half empty when they arrived, so he knew the crowds wouldn't be bad.

Rodney was an incredibly sexy man in the baggy, layered clothes he wore. The thought of him in stuff that fit almost made John's mouth water. He was going to practice scowling to warn off the ooglers.

The constant stream of complaints was reassuring, since Rodney always complained—he got worried when his lover got quiet, like earlier. He didn't know what was on Rodney's mind, but he did seem a bit more relaxed. John figured if he couldn't get Rodney to unwind in twelve days, there was no hope for the man.

Glancing over as he parked the car, he grinned. "Ready?"

Rodney glanced over, scowling. "What do you think?"

"Good. Let's go then." John had parked them next to Macy's, figuring they could start there. He looked around, trying to fix the location of the parking spot in his head, since even at the apartment he wasn't sure which car was his until he set the alarm off. Losing it would not instill confidence in his trip-planning skills.

"You're trying to memorize where we parked, aren't you?"

Damn. Caught. "Maybe."

Rodney shook his head. "Don't worry. I'll remember where the car is—just in case we need to beat a hasty retreat."

Laughing, John led them in, finding the men's department fairly quickly. He decided to start with jeans, since that was fairly easy. Stepping back, he eyed Rodney up and down, then glanced over the selection of styles. A sales girl wandered over, and within a minute he was pleased to discover she actually knew something about clothes. "He needs things that fit. I was thinking a black pair, a dark blue pair, and a standard blue pair of jeans, and then we can find tops to match."

Rodney scowled at John, but held his tongue as the girl replied—quite eagerly—dragging McKay toward the jeans display and arguing with him when she started handing over clothes for him to hold.

John shot him a grin, then added his own selections to Rodney's arms. "Go try those on while we see what else they have. That will at least give us a place to start."

Sending a withering look toward John, he turned back to the salesgirl. "I know what size I am and these are not going to fit—not matter how many times you bat your eyes at me."

John took his elbow and turned him towards the dressing room. "You know what size you were before you started field work. You might not have noticed it, but you're not that size anymore. Put those on and let us look—if they're too tight, we can go up a size."

"Let us look? Us?" Rodney hissed, but continued walking, disappearing into the fitting room. A moment later John swore he could hear the slam of a door.

John glanced over at the sales girl—glancing at her name tag he saw she was Linda. "Sorry about that. He doesn't really like shopping—I had to drag him here."

"I can tell," she said with a smirk. "And he's not that bad, really. I've dealt with worse. Are you looking for something specific? I might be able to make some suggestions while he…argues with himself."

John winked at her. "We're heading out to Vegas tomorrow, and he needs something for the nights. We have a few shows we're going to see, and I'm sure we'll be wandering the casinos. I was thinking a few button-down shirts that actually fit him, and maybe a few nicer t-shirts, since I know he prefers those."

"A leather blazer might be nice as well—it dresses up a lot of things," she said, gesturing for John to follow her. "The casinos can get quite cool and at night the temperature can drop." She stopped in front of a small display—black leather blazers—pulling out two styles. "These would probably work for him, but it's hard to tell with all of that…shirt he has on. Or, we have a few sportier sports coats—black cord might work. I can grab that and a few button-downs, too."

John nodded, grinning. "I actually hadn't thought of that. I'll probably grab one for myself too, thanks! If you wouldn't mind pulling a few more things, I'll go check on him and see if he's managed to cut a hole in the back of the dressing room to escape yet."

"Let me give you some shirts to take with you," Linda said, already moving through the racks. Flipping through the clothes, she pulled out several—mostly dark colors, black-on-black, navy, deep red with a black stripe, along with a few lighter colors that John knew would match Rodney's eyes. She piled them into John's arms with a sheepish expression. "Let's get your friend settled first and then we can work on you."

Laughing, John gave her a half-bow. "I'm a bit easier. I just need to replace some stuff. I'll meet you back over near the dressing room." John wandered back, finding Rodney in the last dressing stall. "Hey, McKay, lemme see how the first pair fits."

"I hate you."

"No, you don't. Lemme see."

"I do, too," Rodney replied as the lock slid to the side and the door opened.

John sucked in a breath, taking in how well the jeans hugged Rodney's body—not too tight, but they did show off all the right things. "God, you're hot."

Rodney turned to John, annoyance on his face. "Why did you have to be right? And how the hell could that…girl take one look at me and pick out the correct size?"

"I might not be a genius, but when it comes to dressing, that, at least, I can do. And she does this for a living, she's learned to size people up as a matter of course. Here, she sent in a few shirts for you to try with it." John moved closer, running his hand over Rodney's denim-encased ass. He leaned in far enough to whisper in his ear. "If we weren't in the middle of a store, I'd fuck you right now. So. Hot."

"Oh, god," Rodney replied, his eyes getting big.

John let Rodney see he wasn't teasing, he really did find his lover amazingly sexy. Running a hand up under the tee-shirts Rodney was still wearing, he tugged at the material. "Take these off and try on the ones I brought in."

Moving quickly, the two t-shirts came off and he grabbed the shirt on the top of the pile, sliding into it a moment later, buttoning it closed as he stared into the mirror. It was one of the black-on-black patterned shirts and with the dark blue jeans looked amazing.

A hesitant knock pulled John's attention—reluctantly—away from Rodney.

Linda was standing near the entrance with another armful of clothes. "Sorry. I didn't want to…interrupt anything."

He gave her an easy grin. "Nope, just thinking you have good taste. The pants fit perfectly, and the top he's tried on so far looks amazing. Rodney," he called over his shoulder, "come here and let her see so she can tell us what else would work. Oh, and grab the blazer in that pile I bought earlier too."

Linda handed over the clothes to John—mostly shirts and a few pairs of khakis. "If the jeans fit, these should as well," she said sheepishly. "They're the same cut."

Rodney appeared a minute later, the corduroy blazer in his hands. "You mean this thing?"

"Yes, that's the one. I wanted her to see the fit without it on, but then I want to see how it looks with it. You could wear the jeans and shirt during the day, and throw the blazer on over it for the shows."

He glanced up, his eyes widening as they found Linda. "Oh…didn't realize you were there. This…ah…fits."

Her eyes swept over Rodney, and John noticed it was more than a little appreciative—he wasn't the only one who thought Rodney looked amazing in that outfit. "It looks like a perfect fit, which means the other pants should work as well, although I'd suggest trying them on just to be sure," she said. "I'm not sure if that blazer is the one we want to go with if you're looking to get the most use out of it. I brought a few other styles for you to try."

Rodney nodded, his cheeks flushing a little. "I'm going to…" he gestured with his thumb before disappearing into the fitting room again.

John watched him go, eyes narrowed in thought. "The black looks good, but I know he's used to wearing lighter colors. Do you have some similar styles in some lighter and brighter versions?"

"I do. There are a few in the pile, but I stuck with the darker colors for night," she replied with a nod. "If you don't mind me saying…you're…the two of you are very cute. You know that, right?"

John felt himself turning red. And while he knew he should deny it, he couldn't bring himself to do it. "Ah... thanks."

She patted his arm with a knowing smile. "It's actually refreshing compared to some. Don't change. I'll be back in a minute."

He felt his face get even hotter, and mumbled his thanks again. With her soft laugh following him, he retreated back into the dressing room. It was going to be very, very hard to go back to pretending to be just friends again on Atlantis. It was so nice to be able to touch, and outwardly admire the man he loved, even if a bit embarrassing when he got called on it. "Hey, how's it going?"

Rodney glanced up at him, midway through a shirt change. There was a pile on each of the two chairs. "Those fit and look okay," he said pointing to the larger pile. "These…not so much."

John gave the discarded pile a quick check, and was pleased to note his favorites off the rack weren't in it. Rodney had gotten through the darker stuff, and was moving on to the lighter. "She's grabbing a few more things to try, too. I'm glad you haven't tried that light blue yet—I wanted to see how it looks with your eyes."

Shaking his head, Rodney pulled it out next. The light blue had a vertical navy stripe and with the dark jeans…

John swallowed hard, shifting a bit uncomfortably as his own pants got a bit tight. He couldn't take his eyes off Rodney.

"Well?" Rodney asked, eyebrow rising. "What you expected?"

"We might never make it out of the room the night you wear that."

"A keeper, then?" This time the smirk was there.

"Oh, yes." John moved up behind him and pressed against Rodney's back, letting him feel how much he liked the shirt.

"John," Rodney warned, "we didn't buy anything yet. We might want to wait until we actually own the clothing before we…dirty it."

"Mmm. We aren't doing anything here. Just showing my appreciation for the fact that you ooze sex dressed like this."

"I…think I'll add this to the 'to be purchased' pile," Rodney said, meeting John's eyes in the mirror. "And that and the salesgirl is going to think you're doing something if you don't move soon."

John grinned at him in the reflection before stepping back again to let Rodney try on the rest of the clothes. "She thinks we're cute."

"Does she?" he asked, already moving onto the next shirt—one of the soft tees.

"Mmm hmm. She does." When Rodney pulled on the tee-shirt, John had to take a few deep breaths to get himself under control. It was just tight enough, showing off the broad chest and shoulders, fitting snuggly just below the waist to enhance the jeans too. "Do you have any idea how good you look in this stuff?"

"What?" McKay asked, turning to him, eyebrow drawn together. It took a moment for John's comment to register, a blush highlighting his cheeks again. "Oh."

"If you ever decide astrophysics is boring, I'll pay you to stand around dressed like that where I can look at you."

"I do that already."

"Not dressed like that. I think I might want to use my teeth to strip it off you."

Rodney's eyes darkened. "Later."

"Oh, yes." They made it through the rest of the pile just as Linda came back, calling out. John pushed off from the wall he had been leaning against and walked back out to see what else she had found.

She was holding another arm-full of clothes. "The top three are for your friend. The rest are for you. I think you might want to show your friend the black one when you try it on. Trust me on that."

He smiled easily. "Perfect. You've been a huge help. I'm just out of touch with this stuff enough to know I needed the help."

Linda shook her head. "I don’t think so. You know exactly what you're looking for. I'll go and grab a few more things I spotted that might work for you. I'm guessing you don't need quite as much as he does."

Laughing, he decided he liked her. He wondered what they could do to thank her. "Actually I do. Most of my stuff is in storage and I don't feel like digging through it to find what I want. It's easier and faster to just buy new, since we're leaving for vacation tomorrow."

"And let me guess, you haven't even looked at that stuff in about five years."

He raised an eyebrow. "Should I be worried that you're reading my mind?"

"No," she chuckled. "I had an uncle just like you. In the military, good looking, and just enough out of touch for it to show."

Alarm bells went of in his head, she had guessed they were together, and probably had a good idea he was military. Oh god, he hadn't been careful, hadn't wanted to, but this could be bad if she... Something on his face must have shown.

Her hand was on his arm. "Oh, crap. I said too much, didn't I? I'm so, sorry. I didn't mean to—"

"No, um, sorry. I just... you took me by surprise." She had been helpful, and nice, and John found himself wanting to trust she wasn't out to tank his career. He smiled, letting the initial panic fade out. "As long as you aren't planning on calling the MPs, it's not a problem."

"I…no. I should know better than to just blurt out everything I think. Like I said, my uncle is military and I know the routine. Again, I'm sorry. I'll just go and get the rest of the items I spotted."

He caught her arm, giving her a genuine smile. "Thank you. It's…nice…to know there are people out there who don't care what I do in my off time."

"It shouldn't matter at all, but that's an entirely different discussion." She ducked her head. "I'll be right back."

He watched her go a bit bemusedly. Making his way back inside, he handed the shirts she had said were for Rodney to his lover, noting he had changed into one of the pairs of khakis Linda had brought earlier. They looked as good as the jeans.

"Thanks," Rodney said absently, turning to look at himself in the mirror. "I'm going to be spending a fortune today."

"It's not like we can't afford it." John pulled off his shirt and picked up the first one from his pile, a soft, dark green button-down with black stripes.

"Still. I only spend this kind of money on electronics." Rodney nodded to himself before pulling off the pants and stepping into another pair.

"Good clothes are an investment, and won't be obsolete in six months. What do you think of this?" John didn't often wear colors other than black, so he wasn't sure what he thought of the green.

Rodney glanced at him for a moment, tugging on the front hem of the shirt. "Get it. What's next?"

With a shake of his head, John pulled it off and reached for the next in the pile, the black one she had mentioned Rodney would like. He got it tugged on, then turned to face his lover again.

Rodney was stepping out of another pair of khakis, dropping them into the very large "buy me" pile, already picking up another pair of pants—black jeans, John thought.

John watched him pull the jeans on, and had to admit, as good as the khakis looked, there was something about that ass in good jeans. "How about this one?"

He turned, pausing mid-zip as his eyes widened. He stepped forward hands reaching out to touch the soft fabric, circling around the very evident nipple rings. "Buy at least two of these," he said before moving forward his hands rubbing against John's nipples, his mouth finding John's.

John moaned into his mouth, his body immediately coming to attention as Rodney fondled him. By the time Rodney stepped back, John was panting, and he knew he probably had a dazed, aroused look on his face.

Rodney smirked as he finished pulling on his pants. "That's a good look for you."

"Guh."

Chuckling, Rodney went back to what he was doing, the pile of "need to try on" nearly diminished.

It took John a good five minutes to get his brain started again. His nipples ached to be touched, and even the soft fabric against them was sending spikes of pleasure through him every time he moved. Pulling the shirt off, he stifled another moan and closed his eyes, taking deep breaths as he attempted to talk his body back down.

"So, playing like that was a bad idea, eh?"

John opened his eyes and took in the dark jeans paired with a soft, dark green tee-shirt. He fought the urge to go touch, knowing he wouldn't be able to stop, and while Linda was surprisingly open-minded, he wasn't sure that extended to sex in her dressing room. "I want you."

Rodney's eyes widened. "Not here," he hissed.

"I know." Taking a few more deep breaths, John got himself straightened up and grinned. A little waiting never hurt anyone. "Feel free to indulge in surprise fondling any time though. I can get behind that kind of thinking."

"They were…just poking out. All on display." Rodney flushed. "I couldn't help it."

"I need several of those shirts. And I'm going to wear them all the time if that's the reaction they get."

"You…ah…might. And I think I'm just about done."

With a wicked grin, John picked up the next shirt in his own pile, something similar to Rodney's light blue and navy, only with a smaller stripe. "If you're done, put on the dark blue jeans and black shirt, and pull the tags off. We'll pay for them, but I want you to wear them out."

"What?"

"Wear them out. Linda won't mind, I'm sure, since we're paying for everything. Speaking of which, she's been pretty good to us. Any ideas on how to say thank you?"

This time Rodney's eyebrow rose when he glanced up at John, pausing as he sorted though the pile of clothes. "You're asking me?"

"I don't want to just give her cash—I don't want her to think we're bribing her or anything. I just want to say thanks for the help."

"Again, I repeat the question since I must assume that you have wax in your ears or something. You're asking me this question? You're the one with the social graces."

John grinned, doing a little twirl in the blue shirt. "Yes, no? And you're a genius. I find it never hurts to get your opinion on stuff."

"No on the shirt. I don't like those cowboy pockets. And are these the ones you want?" Rodney asked, holding up the black-on-black striped shirt and the blue jeans.

Pulling off the blue shirt, John tossed it in the rejects pile and picked up the last one Linda had grabbed for him, another black one, this time of a slightly shiny material. "Yes, those are the ones. What do you think of this shirt?"

"Dunno. Depends what it looks like on," Rodney said, pulling off the tags of the clothes John has indicated before stepping into the pants and tugging the shirt on, buttoning it up.

Pulling the shiny shirt on over his head, John noted that it wasn't as tight as he usually wore his tees, but it rippled against his skin every time he moved. It felt amazing on.

"That's…that's a yes."

Looking up, John had just enough warning to know Rodney was there, hands running across his chest again, catching the shiny material and rubbing it over already-sensitive flesh. He pushed into his lover's clever hands, even as he bent down to kiss him. "So this is a random fondling shirt to," he laughed a bit breathlessly into Rodney's mouth when they came up for air.

"Maybe."

"Have I changed your mind about shopping?"

"No. At home we don't have to stop."

"Ah, but if we had stayed home, we wouldn't have the clothes that inspired the fondling."

"There's always internet ordering."

"Most of the time, I agree. But for clothes, you really need to try stuff on." John disengaged himself with a last, lingering kiss, pulling off the slinky top and adding it to the keep pile. "That's a lot of clothes."

"You noticed," Rodney said dryly, the corner of his mouth rising. Another tentative knock interrupted them.

John kept looking for his own shirt, calling out that she could come in. He figured they were both decent. "I think we're going to need a small army to haul all our stuff home," he grinned at her as she popped her head in.

Her eyes widened as they stopped briefly on his nipple rings before rising, front and center. "I have some more shirts for you to try on."

He flushed, but kept grinning anyway. If he didn't want people to notice them, he wouldn't wear them out. "Thanks. I'm not sure how I feel about Rodney buying more stuff than me. I need to catch up."

"I'm not sure that's possible, but I'll see what else I can find," Linda said, handing off the pile. "And, Rodney, if you're done, we can get some of those clothes out of there."

John listened to Rodney telling her which pile was which, and the two of them hauled out the keepers. He quickly went through the new pile, adding a cream and navy button up, another slinky shirt shot through with silver thread, and two more black tees to his keep pile before Rodney came back, Linda behind him. "I think I'm about done, too. What about blazers? Where did we leave that?"

"Rodney has two. Did you want some?"

"I think so. If he's going to be in one, I'll look a bit silly showing up without."

She looked him over quickly, before nodding to herself. "I'll be right back."

John pulled the last shirt off and dug out the one he had started with, putting it back on, aware that Rodney was watching him.

"Which one are you wearing out?"

"The one I came in. Why?"

"So, I'm the only one that's leaving in new clothes? Was the stuff I was wearing that bad?"

"No, the new stuff is just that sexy. Did you have something you wanted me to wear?"

Before Rodney could answer, Linda was back, two blazers in hand—one leather and one a dark, black/brown herringbone. "These are the ones that I think should work."

John reached for the leather first—he had left his favorite black leather jacket back on Atlantis, so he needed one for here. Pulling it on, he had to admit this one actually looked better. "I definitely want this one."

"I thought so," Linda said with a smile. "The herringbone might look a little strange, but I think it'll work with a black shirt—especially for dinner or a show. I'm going to start ringing up some of your choices."

"I'm going to go and see how much of a dent this is going to make on the savings," Rodney said, following Linda out.

John shrugged out of the leather, and picked up the black tee that had first made Rodney touchy-feely. He pulled that on, yanking the tag off to make sure it got paid for properly. He briefly put the herringbone on, admitting to himself that he liked it, then shrugged it back off and gathered up the rest of his keep pile and followed them out. Handing the tag for the shirt he was wearing to Linda, he added the rest to the pile of stuff not yet added to the bill. Rodney was looking at something on a rack nearby and hadn't turned around yet. "See anything else you want?"

"I think we have enough from this store, no?"

"So, dump this stuff in the car and go grab coffee? We can hit the electronics stores along the way."

"I need shoes."

"We can do that too." He looked over at Linda. "Any suggestions on where to go for a few pairs of good shoes?"

"As much as I know I should tell you to go down to the shoe section here, I don't think that's your best bet," she said after a moment, her eyes on Rodney as he wandered further into the racks. "I can give you a few places."

John decided coffee was a good bet. When they went to Starbucks, he would get her a $100 gift card, and drop it off on the way back out. That was innocuous enough to not seem threatening, and generous enough to let her know they really were grateful for the help. "Perfect."

"This will take me a few minutes to ring up. Feel free to walk around incase there was something I missed."

John flashed her another smile, and wandered after Rodney, catching up with him a few racks in. "Seriously, if there's something else you like, add it to the pile."

"Just looking."

John leaned against a rack to watch his lover. It was amazing to be able to see his body and how it moved in the new pieces.

Rodney glanced up briefly, raising an eyebrow at John before he moved on again, fingering a really lightweight slate-blue shirt.

Grinning, John moved behind him, running his own fingers along the shirt's hem. "It would look great with your eyes."

"Maybe."

Since he knew what size Rodney had been trying on, John pulled the right one off the rack, draping it across his arm. "I can be your pack mule. Walk around and decide what other last-minute items you need, and I'll haul them around for you."

"Don't you think we have enough stuff?" Rodney asked, rolling his eyes.

John hadn't told Rodney he was buying—he was pretty sure his geek would object. "All right. I'm going to add this one to the pile then, and Linda should be just about done."

"Fine. She has my credit card. I'm sure she knows what to do with it."

John sauntered back over, glad she was just getting to the end of the stuff. "We want to add this one, and I'm putting it on my credit card."

She raised an eyebrow, but took the card he offered, handing Rodney's back to him. Her eyes drifted back to Rodney who was still browsing. "Was it something I said?"

"What?" John glanced back at Rodney, confused.

"He seems…off. Sorry. I know better than to pry and you already know I tend to say what's on my mind. It's a bad habit that's gotten me into a lot more trouble than I like." She scanned the last shirt and folded it on the counter behind her. "Okay. I'm guessing you don't have any coupons or anything."

"Off? No, Rodney's moody sometimes. I think he wasn't expecting to actually find things he liked. He was doing this to humor me. We've had a…rough…year, and this is the first vacation either of us has had in a while, so it's just taking some time to re-adjust. And no, no coupons. I wouldn't even know where to go to get those."

She chuckled, but nodded. "I have one you can use. It's only twenty percent off, but it'll make a big dent in what you just bought."

"Do I even want to know the total?"

"Honestly? No, probably not."

"I think I can handle it. What's the damage?"

"$2,342.59."

John winced. "Is that before or after the coupon?"

"After."

He winced again. "Well, that's what hazard pay is for, right?"

Her eyes drifted again for a moment before returning to him. "Are you sure you don't want Rodney to pay since most of it is his?"

"I'm sure. He'll yell at me for it later, but it's always fun to get him wound up. Besides, yelling at me for a while over stupid shit will probably help him work through whatever's bothering him right now." He grinned. McKay handling was a fine art.

"If you say so…John Sheppard," she said reading the name on his card as she swiped it through.

"He's never happier than when he has idiots to berate. I don't mind taking one for the team now and then. Besides, he's pretty funny when really gets going. I'm a sick bastard, but I take my amusement where I can." John winked at her, getting a grin in response.

"If that's what you want…" she said with a chuckle, tearing the receipt from the register and positioning it for him to sign.

With a mental note to double check that his credit card was on automatic payment when and if he went off-world again, John signed away almost $2,500. For clothes. Just as they were putting the last of the stuff into bags, Rodney wandered back over. "Hey. We're all done here. You want to drop these off at the car, then come back in for the rest?"

"Don't I have to sign something?"

"Nope, all taken care of. We're good to go." While he would provoke Rodney, he would really prefer not to be berated in public, however.

"What do you mean it's all taken care of? I know what happens when you purchase something. Where the hell is the receipt I'm supposed to sign?"

John pulled Rodney's credit card out of his pocket and handed it over. "I signed for it."

"You did what?! You know, I do know how to pay for my own clothing. You," he said turning to Linda who was watching with wide eyes, snapping at her with his impatient gesture John was all-too familiar with. "Lydia…credit his card and use mine instead. This moron thinks he can just barge in and take over my entire life. Do you have any idea how much money I make on an annual basis? No. More than you do."

John winked at her behind Rodney's back. "It's paid for and done, Rodney. I had hazard pay to burn through."

He didn't think it was possible, but Rodney's face darkened even more. Apparently he was still dwelling on that conversation.

"Fine," Rodney finally said, the tone curt. "We need to take these to the car before we go anywhere else because I am not dragging $2500 worth of merchandise through the mall."

Internally, John sighed. It was never good when Rodney gave in this fast. "Thanks again, Linda. We appreciate all the help."

She was packing up the clothes in various bags, trying not to listen in. "My pleasure, really. And anytime you need to spend some more money, feel free to come back."

"We will." With a last smile, and a mental sticky note to buy the Starbucks card and run back through before they headed out for the day, John grabbed his share of the bags and followed Rodney back out to the car. Once everything was stowed, he did a quick check—no one else in the immediate area. Turning Rodney, he pinned him to the car. "All right, what did I do this time?"

"John…just back off."

"Not unless you give me a good reason to. I have just as much money to burn as you do, and this was my idea—I never had any intention of letting you pay for this stuff."

"Fine. Thank you for spending your hazard pay on me then. Happy?"

John sighed. "Why is it a big deal? If you don't tell me, I can't do a damn thing about it."

"I don't know." The words were strangled, pushed through clenched teeth.

John didn't know if pushing at this point would be a good or bad thing. Usually he could read Rodney fairly well, but his lover was being elusive this time. He opted for a middle of the road approach, hoping some time to get his head around whatever was bothering him would help. "Tell you what, I'll meet you in the food court in an hour. Do whatever you need to do to figure out what the hell I did to piss you off so I can actually try to fix it, okay?"

"Fine. I'm sorry, for what little good that actually does."

John ran a thumb along Rodney's jaw. "You don't have anything to apologize for. Something is obviously bothering you, so take some time and try to figure out what it is without me hovering over you."

Rodney nodded once, dropping his eyes.

"Hey." John used his hold on Rodney's face to make his lover look at him. "I have my cell on if you want to find me before the hour. I love you."

"I know and…Starbucks in an hour?"

"I'll be there." John leaned in to brush a light kiss across Rodney's lips, then stepped away, heading for the mall entrance, instead of the Macy's one they had used before.

Since he really didn’t have a specific destination in mine, he wandered in and out of stores, not really paying much attention to what he was looking at. At one point, he thought he saw someone who looked vaguely familiar in an unsettling way—from the plane?—but dismissed it as paranoia.

Eventually he found himself in a jewelry store. For some reason, he walked back to the wedding bands, thinking about the conversation he and Rodney had had. They couldn’t actually marry—at least not on Earth, and John made another mental note to ask Teyla about Athosian marriage ceremonies—but that didn’t mean they couldn’t exchange rings, right? Especially since there was a pair of titanium and white gold bands that really caught his eye.

But if dropping a few thousand on clothes Rodney knew about pissed him off, spending this kind of cash without at least consulting him first would probably result in a spectacular argument, and fighting was not on John’s agenda for the next week. If Rodney was feeling less irritated, John thought maybe he’d bring it up, show him the bands and see what he thought.

Wandering back out, John went into Starbucks and bought the gift card, deciding to wait on Rodney to get coffee since he didn’t want it to get cold. John folded himself into a chair in the corner with a good view of the rest of the mall, and just drifted for a while.

It was the complaining that pulled him out of his thoughts. "No, what part of double-shot did you not understand?"

Letting his lips quirk up, John called over. "I'll take a vanilla latte if you're ordering."

"Already ordered it, but the numskull behind the counter doesn't understand English."

John stifled his laughter at the harried looks of the baristas. When Rodney finally joined him, John took a sip—he hadn't had Starbucks in forever. "I forgot how good these are."

Rodney dumped a large bag—bags actually—next to the table as he dropped down into one of the armchairs, taking a long pull from his coffee. "I wasn't finished looking, so I might have to go back."

"Where did you go?" John peered at the bags curiously.

"Electronic stores."

Raising an eyebrow, John had to admit he was just more interested now. "What did you buy?"

"Stuff."

"That's not very descriptive."

Rodney took another sip of his coffee, humming in appreciation. "It wasn't intending to be. If I had actually decided to tell you specifically what I purchased, I would have told you."

"You aren't going to tell me what you bought?" At least his lover seemed to be in a better mood now.

"Later."

John shook his head, but decided not to press it. Rodney would either tell him, or get pissy, and pissy was what he was trying to avoid. "I wandered into a few jewelry stores."

"Really? Looking for something for Elizabeth? Might not be a bad idea. Maybe get something for Teyla, too."

"Actually, that's not a bad idea, but that wasn't what I was looking at." John stared at his cup. Now that he was bringing it up, he knew it would sound stupid.

Rodney was quiet for a moment, sipping at his coffee. "Are you going to share it with the rest of the class or keep it to yourself?"

"Wedding bands." He said it quietly, feeling his face get a little hot.

"For?"

"We can't actually get married on…well here…but that doesn't mean we couldn't, you know, get the rings. And ask Teyla maybe what the Athosians do."

Rodney's face darkened for a moment. "I didn't think you were interested in that."

"I'm in this for the long haul, stupid policies aside. I...it's not a big deal. I just was looking at them, and you know, thought it would be an idea." John muttered it into his cup. Okay, bad idea.

"This is really not the place for this conversation."

"Sorry." He couldn't look up to see what Rodney's expression was. It hadn't been a great idea, and it wasn't like he was being rejected, but still. He didn't really want to see the irritation he was sure was being aimed at him.

"Besides," Rodney was saying, "at least the way we are now you can't leave me a widow or anything."

"I'm sorry."

"We should go. I still need to get shoes."

He wasn't ready to go back out there yet. He still had half his coffee left, so it was as good an excuse as any. "Mind if I finish this first?"

"Oh," Rodney said, sounding surprised. "I thought you were done. I’m going to get another one and a muffin or something in that case."

"Sure. We have time." John closed his eyes as Rodney went back up to the counter. Rodney's comment at least gave him an idea of what was going on in that genius brain. It gave him something to focus on other than the strange need to tie himself to Rodney with something more than the physical. He had never wanted to be linked to someone else so much, and ironically he hadn't realized it until Rodney had said no.

Something dropped on the table in front of him and John opened his eyes to find a chocolate cake donut on a plate and Rodney sliding back into his chair—coffee and donut in hand. "So, what time is the flight tomorrow?"

Tilting his head, John eyed the cake, but figured why not. Picking up the donut, John bit into it, making happy noises at the rich flavor. "Hmm?"

"The flight. Tomorrow. It is tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah. 1100 out of Denver—they had direct flights."

"Okay, that's not too bad. I think I might be looking forward to the trip."

John finally looked up, surprised. Happy surprised, but still... "Really? What changed?"

Rodney's face was soft. "I get to see you dressed like that for a week and a half."

John smiled a bit shyly. "Ditto."

"And I’m sorry for being an ass. I can't help myself sometimes."

"I already told you—nothing to apologize for. You ready to go buy shoes?" John drained the last of his coffee and set the cup on the table.

"Actually, don't we have to stop at the jewelry store first?"

John froze. "Um, sure. We probably should get something for Teyla."

"And Elizabeth, but both of those can wait."

John stood up, cleaning off the table and throwing away the garbage. "It's not a big deal. I mean, it's okay if you don't, you know, like the idea. It was probably stupid to bring it up in the first place." He was aware he was babbling, but couldn't stop himself.

"It wasn't stupid," Rodney said, catching his hand. "Just…unexpected given some of your earlier comments."

John twined their fingers together, for once not caring if someone walked by and saw them. "Earlier comments?"

Rodney looked a little constipated for a moment, but refused to let John pull away. "That's the part of the conversation that needs to wait."

Not sure what to do, John settled for nodding. "All right. I... you know if I could, I would ask you to marry me, right? Here, for the records, so no one could ever wonder or doubt."

"You can, John, there are always options if you choose to see them," Rodney said carefully. "Come on. I need some more DVDs and I want to see the rings."

Unsure what his lover meant, but knowing this really wasn't the place for it, John acquiesced. "And shoes. Linda said Dillard's was the best option for those. And I got her a Starbucks card, so on the way out we need to run back through Macy's."

"Liked her, did you?" Rodney asked, picking up his bags and heading for the door.

"She was helpful, and I appreciated it. I figure it's our duty to encourage that sort of behavior in the young." John followed him out and they started wandering. The jewelry store John had seen the rings in was actually pretty close.

"I’m surprised you didn't buy the rings," Rodney said after a long moment.

"I thought about it. But that's not the sort of thing you do on impulse. And I didn't want to piss you off by not talking about it first." John led him back to the bands, pointing out the simple pair that had caught his eye. He knew he should be embarrassed by it, but Rodney seemed to bring out a romantic and sentimental side he hadn't even known he had.

"They're nice," Rodney said, gesturing for one of the salesperson to come over. "Can we see these?"

"Um." It wasn't eloquent, but Rodney had managed to surprise him.

The woman unlocked the case and pulled them out, handing over several to Rodney as he tried them on, looking carefully at each one. After about five minutes he turned to John, offering him two. "Whichever one you want." He turned back to the slightly stunned woman and asked about getting his finger properly measured and how long it would take to get the rings.

John could sympathize with the woman. He was feeling a bit stunned himself. Hadn't Rodney said no not thirty minutes ago? Or had he just imagined that? Glancing down, John slipped first one, then the other, on his finger, deciding he liked the first better. "This one?"

Rodney nodded, giving the ring to the salesperson and gesturing for John to get his finger measured. When she moved to write up the sale, he turned to John. "Too much too soon?"

John shook his head, taking a risk and leaning in to give Rodney a chaste kiss—they were buying wedding bands, if these people hadn't already figured it out, they were stupid. "Never. I'm surprised, but in a good way." He dropped his voice, for Rodney alone. "You're mine."

"We can get them engraved later. I think they have our sizes in stock. She said she'd check."

"What do you want on them?" John knew he had a sappy, love-struck look on his face, and didn't care.

Rodney shrugged. "Whatever you want. Think about it." The woman came back a moment later and Rodney talked with her—argued really—managing to get the price down a little.

John let him, still more that a little bemused. When they left twenty minutes later, they were the proud owners of a set of wedding bands. John slipped his on, grinning a little at the way it looked.

When they were a few shops away, Rodney paused, handing his ring to John. "I don't want to do the wedding band thing here. Do you mind if I wait?"

John took it, and pocketed both. "Shoes?"

"Shoes would be good because once we get that, we can go home." Rodney's eyebrow rose and his eyes side down to John's nipples.

"Thought you wanted to hit the electronics stores again too." John grinned as they headed into Dillards, the shoe section not far from the entrance.

"That's on the way to the car."

"Just checking." It didn't take them long to find a few pairs of shoes to go with the various clothes Rodney had bought, and they even had them in Rodney's size. That done, they started back for the entrance.

"Meet you at the car?" Rodney asked, already half-way into the huge electronics store.

Pausing, John gave him a startled look. "O...kay?"

"You have to go see Linda anyway and I won't be long."

Shaking his head, John gave in. Rodney obviously didn't want him to know what various toys he was buying. "All right. Meet you at the car in a few minutes.”

Wandering back into Macy’s John managed to spot Linda near where he had left her. “Hey! I won’t keep you long. Just wanted to give you this.”

"Give me what?" she asked, turning to him with a perplexed expression on her face.

He pulled the card out of his pocket and handed it over. "You really were a huge help, and this was all I could think of to say thanks."

Glancing back and forth between the card and him, her mouth open, it took Linda a few minutes to respond. "You didn't have to do this."

"I know. But I wanted to." He smiled.

"No, really. You didn't. The commission I made from your purchase this morning was my entire month. I should be thanking you."

"Glad to help a friend get ahead in the world. Consider that a bonus." He grinned. "Seriously, thanks."

"Thank you," she said, her smile broad. "And I’m actually amazed you're still in the mall. I figured he would have run out of here screaming hours ago."

"Nah, he found the electronics stores. I'm meeting him at the car in a few minutes since he wanted to hit one more. I'm headed there now, but I wanted to swing by and give you that."

"Well, enjoy your time in Vegas and thank you again," she said with a smile as another customer approached.

He waved good-bye and headed for the car, leaving her to make a few more sales. Rodney wasn't there yet, so he slid into the driver's seat and pulled out the rings to look at them while he waited.

It only took a few minutes before the back door of the car opened and packages were tossed in, Rodney dropping into the front passenger seat a beat later. "Ready?"

John had put the rings back in his pocket, and once Rodney was set he turned on the GPS and started for home. He slipped one hand over to rest on Rodney's thigh, rubbing his thumb against the grain of the denim absently. "So, gonna tell me what you bought yet?"

"Later."

"We have to pack all this stuff tonight."

"I know. I'm not looking forward to that part," Rodney said with a sigh.

"But hey, twelve days in Vegas. In a suite. With no military base nearby and no one we know to worry about."

Rodney turned toward him, a half-smile on his face. "I keep telling myself that, but it doesn't seem possible or real."

"I'll maul you a few times in the most public places I can find. Nothing makes it seem real like voyeurism." John shot him a wicked smile.

Ducking his head, Rodney's cheeks flushed. He lifted his head a moment later, hand coming to rest on John's thigh. "I do love you. You know that, right?"

John felt a rush of happy warmth flood through him. Rodney didn't often say it unless John did first. He wanted to kiss Rodney now, but driving made that difficult, so he settled for giving him a soft, promising look. "Yes. I do know that."

"Even when I'm being an asshole."

"It's part of your charm."

"No," Rodney said, shaking his head. "Not quite. Sometimes…sometimes things just get…overwhelming. Like this morning. I didn't mean to take it out on you."

"I know, and its okay. I'd rather you do that than let it build. I have a thick skin, I can take a little bit of prodding."

"I…worry. I worry that I might become too dependent on you, that things would…change, that you or I would change. I worry about what might happen if something bad happened to you, or me, and we had no say over each other's lives because of some rule or regulation. And then I worry that I may have jumped the gun with some things."

John let that sink in, taking a moment to really think about it, since it deserved a real answer. "I know. I feel the same way sometimes, worrying about what we would do if something happened to one of us. But I do know this isn't a mistake. We tried doing without each other, and it hurt too much. I promise, I'll do my best not to, to completely make you dependant. That's not what I want. I like you just the way you are. I fell in love with Rodney McKay, not some mindless, brainless bimbo."

McKay tightened his hand, silent for a moment. "Then I should probably tell you this."

Okay, sentences like that never ended well. Chest tight, John nodded. "Anything."

"As soon as we got back to Earth, I had my lawyer draw up some new papers for me. They were delivered to the SGC the day before you went to Philly which is probably why I reacted so…badly at your offhanded 'it's not like we're married comment'."

"P-papers? What kind of papers? And I didn't mean it that way. I guess I meant yet. We aren't married yet. But even then I was thinking that if we couldn't here on Earth, maybe we could in Pegasus."

"Power of attorney papers. It's the only thing I could think of that would give you a say in what happens to me…if something happened."

John spotted a parking lot nearby and pulled in. As soon as the car was stopped, he was almost crawling over the seat, pressing his lips to Rodney's. "Can he do a set for me? I don't have a lawyer outside the military consultants."

It took a minute before Rodney could reply, John not really giving him much choice. "Probably. I don't see why not. Might take a little longer. I already had a set on file so for me it was simply an update." Rodney paused again, pressing his lips to John's. "I…I just thought you should know that this was something I really wanted. But, when you made that comment…I thought I might have jumped the gun."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you doubt." John licked his way into Rodney's mouth again, not stopping until they were both gasping for air. "Call the attorney when we get home. Ask him what I need to do to have a set drawn up."

"Okay…but we should…probably take this somewhere less public."

"And more comfortable." John reluctantly moved back to his own seat. "You do know as soon as we walk in the door, I'm stripping you, tying you down, and lavishing attention on you until you're begging for release, right?"

"I thought we were bringing in the packages, packing, and calling the lawyer?"

John had gotten them back on the road. Fortunately, it wasn't much farther. "We can't do both?"

"If I’m tied down somewhere…not so much." Rodney's eyes danced a little before he glanced away.

"Okay, we'll bring in the packages, drop them at the door, you can call the lawyer while I undress you, I tie you down and make you fly, and we pack at some point tonight, possibly in a panicked rush right before we leave tomorrow."

Rodney's hand snaked out, latching onto John's leg. "Whatever you want, John. Anything at all."

"I've been half-hard for you since you put on the first pair of jeans. I want to touch you, taste you, make you squirm, make you beg, make you feel so fucking fantastic that you lose track of at least five minutes."

"I just want you."

Pushing the pedal down almost to the floor, John idly reflected it was probably a good thing they were only a few blocks away at that point. He managed to get them parked without hitting anything or anyone, then popped the trunk and stared at all the bags. "Think we can do it all in one trip?"

"We brought all of this out in one trip—minus the electronics bags and shoes," Rodney said after a minute. "Sure. We can do it."

It took some juggling, and John fought the urge to giggle at the sight they probably made, both loaded down with bags, but they managed it. As soon as they were in, everything got dropped, and John had Rodney against the wall, pressing their lips together. Once he had sated the initial desperation to taste, he pulled back, digging the rings out of his pocket. "Rodney McKay, will you do me the honor of wearing this ring as a token of my love and devotion to you?" Sure, it was corny, but situations like this called for corny and romantic, and this was the best he could do.

"John…are you sure, really sure?"

"Yes. God, yes. I love you."

"Then, yes," Rodney said with a smile. "I never took you for a romantic."

John flushed a bit as he slipped the ring onto Rodney's finger. "You bring it out in me."

Rodney leaned forward, catching John's mouth with his, and Sheppard could taste the promise.

He fiddled with the other ring until he felt Rodney pull it out of his hand.

"I thought this belonged on your finger."

"I was waiting for you to put it there."

"I can do that," Rodney said quietly, taking John's hand in his, lifting it to his mouth. He kissed along the ring finger before finally sliding the ring in place, kissing it once before pulling away.

John really wished he had the words to tell Rodney how he really felt. He didn't think he could find anything to really do it justice. "You're like Ferris wheels, fast cars, and flying, only better. So much better."

Rodney leaned forward again, kissing John desperately, his mouth opening to allow his lover entrance as his arms slid around Sheppard's shoulders.

John worked his hands under the new shirt, pulling it up and off. He needed skin. Once that was done, he went to work on Rodney's jeans, getting them unfastened. They were tight enough that he couldn't push them down without breaking the kiss. "You need to be naked and we need to move to the bedroom."

"’kay," Rodney said breathlessly, his eyes dark and dilated.

It was still early afternoon, so John figured they could spend at least an hour on sex, and still have time to start making arrangements for that paperwork. For now, he tugged his lover into the bedroom, digging out lube and the ties as Rodney wiggled out of his clothes. "On your back, spread-eagle, with a pillow under your hips."

A smirk appeared on his face, and John knew without a doubt what was going to come out of Rodney's mouth.

"Make me."

"I love a challenge." John advanced on him, eyes dark with need. He faked left and then went right, snagging Rodney and wrestling him onto the bed. It was difficult not to let himself be distracted by a wiggling, naked Rodney underneath him, but he persevered, pinning his lover and leaning down to claim a kiss. "I think that was pretty easy actually."

"And yet, you're not done," Rodney said with a smirk, bucking slightly while making sure he rubbed his chest against John's nipples.

Gasping, John knew he was being played. It was like his nipples were hard-wired into his brain and dick, making one jump and the other short out. Reaching blindly with one hand, he was grateful the ties were close. He looped one around a Rodney-wrist, then grabbed the other hand and wrestled it into another loop, securing them together. "Looks like I'm getting closer."

Rodney kept moving, squirming, making sure he got as much contact as he could. "And yet, not quite spread eagle," he panted at one point, before leaning up to capture John's mouth.

John kissed him hard, rough, finally pulling back to grin. "The best plans don't survive the first encounter. Once I get you tied down, I can adjust." Rodney managed to move his chest so it brushed against John's nipples again, which made him dive in for another kiss.

Moaning into the kiss, Rodney bucked up, rubbing himself against John's jeans-clad legs, and John could feel him adjusting, shifting his weight, his leg moving to brace him. If John didn't do something soon, Rodney might actually flip them.

Reaching blindly until he found another tie, John quickly ran it so the ends were on either side of the original tie securing Rodney's hands. He shifted up and, with a lot of wiggling and wrestling, managed to tie it to the bed. "That narrows your options a bit."

"Maybe," Rodney said before latching onto a nipple that had managed to come even with his mouth as John was securing his hands.

"Oh, fuck." John let his head fall forward as he panted for breath, all other thoughts whiting out for a moment.

And a moment later, John found himself on his back, Rodney carefully perched over him—arms still firmly attached to the bed. McKay ginned and hummed as he teased the nipple—this tongue gentle and careful.

Arching into his lover's mouth, John let him play. His nipples had been aching for contact all day, and the heat of Rodney's mouth, the tugging on the rings, the feel of wet fabric rubbing against him. John knew he was going to come just from this, but it would take the edge off so he could play with Rodney longer.

Switching to the other nipple, Rodney continued to tease, increasing the pressure gradually until John was panting.

"Oh god, oh Rodney, feels so fucking fantastic. Don't stop. Please, I need... Rodney..." His pants suddenly went from uncomfortably tight to uncomfortably wet as he moaned his release.

McKay chuckled, nipple and shirt still in his mouth, grinning against John's chest.

Panting, it took John a few minutes to catch his breath, not helped any by the continued friction on the sensitive nubs that had him whimpering. Finally he got enough motor control that he was able to flip them back over. "Evil. That was just evil, and what is your fascination with making me come in my pants without touching my cock?"

"Because I can?"

"Mmmm. Good point." John wiggled off, and slowly stripped off his clothes, making sure to bend to give Rodney the best views.

"Glad those were the old ones," McKay commented, watching with appreciation. "I'd hate for your dick to turn blue or something because of the dye."

"You wouldn't still love it if it turned blue?"

"Oh, I'd still love you, but you might get a nickname."

"What kind of nickname?" John grabbed another tie and caught Rodney's ankle, getting it secured to the bed without too much effort.

"Smurf, maybe," Rodney commented, tugging at his bonds even as John secured his other foot, leaving him spread wide, his cock hard and leaking.

"Come on, I know you can be more creative than that." John sat back to admire the way Rodney looked like this. "You could be trying to inspire me. Since I've already come, I can take a little time to play."

"I didn't think being compared to a small, blue creature would be a good thing," Rodney said, watching as John secured an extra tie to the headboard before he moved to the other side, repeating the process. "Have a plan do you?"

"I told you I wanted you spread-eagle. I'm just taking a more round-about path to get there." John untied one hand, leaving the other still secured in the first bindings. Because Rodney was still secured in three places, John didn't have any trouble re-tying him, before doing the same for the other hand. "Mmmm. Beautiful."

Rodney tugged at each hand and foot before John watched him relax, melting into the mattress a little as his eyes fluttered closed. He'd never seen that before—at least not from this perspective.

Running a hand along one of Rodney's calves, John smiled when his lover's eyes cracked open again. "Enjoying yourself?"

"Mmm…getting there."

Grabbing a pillow, John got it pushed under Rodney's hips, making slight adjustments to limbs until he had him exactly like he wanted. Crawling up, John blanketed Rodney's body with his, propping himself up on his elbows to look down at the face he had come to love so much.

Rodney's eyes were soft, heavy-lidded, and dark with arousal, the corner of his mouth lifting as John settled in. "Comfy?"

"Very." John kissed his nose.

"I'm glad. I'd hate for you to be…uncomfortable."

John wiggled his hips a little, brushing against Rodney's hard length. "Nope, I'm pretty comfortable. Have everything I need right here."

Rodney's body shuddered and he moaned, his eyes closing.

Chuckling, John started mouthing his way along Rodney's jaw, down his neck, licking a path to a nipple that perked right up in welcome as he got close to it.

Lifting his head, Rodney watched as John circled the area with his tongue as he squirmed—or tried to—under the weight of John's body and the bindings of his arms and legs. He had no room to move, but it didn't stop the scientist from trying.

Looking up, John gave him an evil grin. "Want something?"

McKay's head dropped back against the bed, but he tilted it so he could still look John in the eye. He answered a moment later, voice quiet. "Just…whatever you want to give me."

John felt his whole body respond to that—to the trust, the need, the love Rodney was giving him. His lover consistently managed to bring out the stronger edges of the dominant end of his personality, making him want to give Rodney anything and everything. He licked a wet stripe over each nipple, and then sat up, grabbing the few remaining ties—he really missed their cuffs and toys still on Atlantis. Carefully, he wrapped one across Rodney's eyes, using the other as a gag across that wonderful mouth.

Rodney shifted on the bed once John was finished, adjusting to the sensations Sheppard assumed. He could feel Rodney's heartbeat—strong and constant. McKay's hands clenched and unclenched twice, before stilling once again. Several deeper breaths through his nose and John watched his lover fall—just a little more. It was hard to explain, John realized. It was a subtle shift—in the air and the way Rodney held himself—that let Sheppard know that his lover was letting go.

All for him.

It was a huge responsibility, John knew, and it made him ache to know Rodney trusted him to this degree. Moving to the side of his lover's body, John used the heat of his breath to caress, flicking out his tongue in random places to taste.

Soft sighs and moans—the sounds trapped by the gag, but not as much as the one they used on Atlantis—accompanied every movement, happy, content sounds that only encouraged John.

Avoiding the usual erogenous zones, he covered Rodney's body with attention. The insides of elbows, kneecaps, the soft skin along his hips. John kept the touches light, the kisses fleeting.

If the contented sighs weren't enough, Sheppard could feel Rodney relaxing, giving himself into the sensations John was providing. It was…intoxicating.

Pulling back, and with a soft smile he knew Rodney couldn't see, John shifted so he had full access to Rodney's chest. Without giving his lover warning, he took a nipple between his lips, sucking hard, brushing his teeth across the tip.

With a muffled yelp and moan, Rodney arched his back, pressing into the contact. He shivered, squirming as John teased and played, but never moving far enough to dislodge John's attentions.

When John finally released the abused nub, he used his tongue to soothe it, kissing it lightly before moving to give the other the same attention.

Rodney's panting breaths and moans only increased, bringing a smile to John's face, enjoying the sounds his lover made.

Glancing down, he saw Rodney was already leaking, his cock a dark red color. Shifting his attention to Rodney's ear, John licked along the lobe, using his tongue to tease before he whispered into it. "Don't come until I tell you to."

The needy and desperate sound of Rodney's moan went straight to John's cock, but he felt the slight nod McKay gave him.

Kissing Rodney's cheek—the only skin on his lover's face that was available at the moment—John went back to playing. He ran a thumb along the almost-faded bruise from the last time he had marked Rodney. The hickey on his neck was completely gone. He pushed slightly on the usual spot to let Rodney know what was coming, then spent the next several minutes renewing his claim.

McKay had bucked a little under him at first before quieting, moving his head so John could get better access. The moans of pleasure and the near-purr of contentment, though, let Sheppard know exactly how much his lover needed, wanted, and loved this.

"Mine. Always mine." John murmured it into Rodney's skin, kissing his mark, wishing he could claim Rodney's mouth, too, but the gag was in the way. Instead he moved south, licking a broad stripe up the thus-far neglected erection.

John was impressed. While Rodney whimpered, he didn't arch into the touch, moaning and panting around the gag as he waited, sweat dotting his hairline, his heartbeat increasing.

As a reward, John sucked the tip into his mouth, doing what Rodney called the "swirly tongue thing" to the slit, pushing it just inside to lap up the pre-come. He didn't keep it up long, pulling back before he pushed Rodney over the edge.

Glancing up, John took in the sight of his lover, spread out, panting, and wanting—all for him. Every now and then, he'd tug at one of his bindings as if to remind himself they were there.

This was all his.

Picking up the lube from where he had dropped it on the bed earlier, John slicked up a finger, running it down Rodney's dick, circling his balls, and pushing back, teasing at his entrance.

A long, deep moan accompanied John's action—not demanding for once—but edged with need and desire.

Knowing the further he could push Rodney, the longer he could keep him on edge, the harder he would fall when he was allowed to come. "Shhh. Soon. Just take it a little longer." Using just the tip of his finger for now, John pushed it in and out, making sure he wasn't touching Rodney anywhere else.

John continued like that for a while before he pushed in further, just up to the first knuckle, feeling Rodney's muscle tense around the digit before relaxing. Working that small section in and out, he eventually pulled out. He added more lube before he pushed in once again, this time the whole finger. Gently, he fucked him with the single digit, watching as Rodney slowly fell apart.

Usually by the time they got to this point, he was too involved in what he was doing to actually watch. It was almost hypnotic to watch his own finger moving in and out of Rodney, to see how his lover responded to every movement. He worked a second finger in, still moving at an unhurried pace and avoiding Rodney's prostate for now.

The trembling and moaning only increased as John drew Rodney higher and higher. He watched every small movement, listened to every sigh as McKay fell deeper.

It was beautiful.

When he knew Rodney was at the point where it was probably getting painful not to come, John withdrew his fingers, slicking himself up. He pushed in slowly until he was fully sheathed in Rodney's tight heat. Fighting the instinct to move, to take, he latched on to one of Rodney's nipples, fondling it as he held himself otherwise still.

Rodney's moan this time was low and deep, rumbling from his chest outward, and John could hear the chant in his lover's mind, the same one he always said about being filled by John. Shifting down, John draped himself over Rodney, pressing  a kiss to Rodney's mouth—gag and all—before sliding his arms under his shoulders and holding on.

"You feel so good, Rodney. I just want to stay here, buried in you forever."

Rodney nodded, the moan turning into a sob of need, which he choked off, turning his head so it was pressed up against John's cheek.

Reaching down, John got a hand around Rodney's dick and started slowly jacking him off. "I want to feel you come."

Rodney whimpered, his muscles clenching and unclenching around John's length, still buried deep inside.

"Let go. Let me feel you."

With a whimper and moan, John felt the shudders finally take over Rodney's body as his cock pulsed between them. Sheppard continued stroking, milking every last drop as the aftershocks slowly faded, Rodney's body becoming boneless under him.

Just before the touches became too much for Rodney, John released his cock, moving to circle his arms around his lover again. Usually he got Rodney off several times for every time he himself came, so while he was hard and aroused, it wasn't with the usual edge of desperation. He wanted to just enjoy the connection they had.

Rodney shifted a few moments later, a purr of contentment rolling through his body.

John tugged the gag off, immediately replacing it with his own mouth. He needed to taste, wanted yet another point of contact with Rodney, another place where they could be joined.

Moaning, Rodney returned the kiss enthusiastically—wet and warm and dirty—his tongue battling with John's before he tilted his head a fraction, opening up to let John in fully.

John kissed him for a long time, moving to mouth at Rodney's neck and jaw when they needed to break for breath, then diving back in for another kiss. Eventually, the sensations began to be too much, and John started moving his hips, pulling out fractions of inches and pushing back in again.

"Feels so good," Rodney whispered between kisses, panting the words into John's mouth.

"Can you get hard again or is it too soon?" John continued with the tiny thrusts, knowing he wasn't going to be able to keep this pace for much longer. He was going to need to take soon, to slam into Rodney and feel his lover around him.

"Don't know…take what you want, John."

"I want you, this. So perfect." With a last, lingering kiss, John pushed himself back up, adjusting the angle so he could start thrusting in earnest.

Rodney felt perfect—heat and tightness in all the right places—trembling and moaning as John brushed his prostate again and again, McKay's cock hardening as Sheppard thrust.

John steadily increased the pace as he lost control, tagging the sweet spot in Rodney's body over and over, letting his lover's moans wash over him, urge him on. When he was getting close, he got a hand around Rodney again. "Take me over the edge with you."

With a strangled groan and whimper, Rodney spilled over John's hand, clenching down hard on his cock as he shuddered with the release.

John followed right behind him, spilling his seed and collapsing back down on top of Rodney.

They laid there for several minutes, catching their breath, panting into skin as their heart rates slowly declined, post-coital bliss settling in heavy and deep.

John reached blindly, feeling until he found the ties on Rodney's wrists and pulling them free. He didn't have the energy to move to do his feet yet.

Rodney's arms encircled John, holding tight as he pressed his face into John's neck, breathing deeply. From the way McKay felt and sounded, Sheppard knew his lover was only moments away from falling asleep.

"Nap. We can do the other stuff later." John snuffled his face deeper into Rodney's neck, drinking in the smell of sex and sweat and McKay.

"’kay," he whispered, pressing a single kiss to John's skin before Sheppard felt him sliding into slumber, arms relaxing around him.

John closed his own eyes, took a few more deep breaths, and followed right behind.

***

Rodney woke slowly.

He wasn't sure what it was that changed, that little alteration that pulled him out of his slumber.

But encased as he was in John's arms, his lover still blanketing him, he didn't care.

He shifted, sighing deeply and contentedly as he tightened his arms around the other man, vaguely realizing that John hadn't pulled out yet. And his legs were still spread wide and tied to the bed.

Oh god.

That was…nice.

And that had been the "thing", the difference. He felt full, complete. No one had ever done that with him—to him—like this, before.

John muttered something incoherent as Rodney shifted again, but it was obvious he wasn't awake yet.

Rodney smiled, still a little shell-shocked, the ring on his hand reminding him of exactly what John had promised, what he'd promised.

"Wha time s'it?"

"I don't know," Rodney replied quietly. "Can't see the clock."

John grunted, but didn't move.

"John, can I make a suggestion?"

"Sure."

"As much as I hate to ask, you might want to pull out before you get hard. I’m not sure how long the lube will last."

Muttering disconnected syllables again, John pushed himself up enough to pull out and roll to Rodney's side. "Suppose you want me to untie your legs, too."

"Don't have to unless you want to."

"Don't want you uncomfortable."

"I'm okay."

''Kay." He felt John's hands on his face, and the blindfold was tugged off. When he blinked his eyes open, John was lying on the bed, head pillowed on his other arm, watching.

"Hi," Rodney said, shy under John's gaze.

"Hi." John's smile was soft, and he reached out to trace the lines of Rodney's face.

"Would it be okay if I moved the pillow?" Rodney asked after a minute, leaning into the contact. "Or, were you planning something else that you needed it for?"

John reached down and pulled the pillow out, tossing it on the floor before returning his fingers to their lazy caressing.

"Thank you," Rodney whispered, reaching out to touch John where he could. Still being tied to the bed gave him a few less options, but that was okay.

John reached out to catch his hand, intertwining their fingers and clinking the rings they were wearing together. "Love you."

"Love you," he replied with a shy smile.

John leaned in, catching his mouth in a tender kiss, never releasing his hold on Rodney's hand.

Taking a breath through his nose, Rodney deepened the kiss, wanting John to know exactly how he felt, how amazing he felt—all because of him.

John hummed as they made out, lazy and lost in each other for a long time. When they finally broke, he kissed the tip of Rodney's nose. "We do actually need to get packed. And if it's not too late, I want to talk to your lawyer to get that started before we leave."

"I can do that," Rodney said with a smile. "If you bring me the phone I can do that from here."

John brushed his lips across Rodney's one last time before sitting up and going across the room to dig in Rodney's discarded pants for the phone. He brought it back, handing it over. "I think I'm hungry, too—we never did lunch. What do you want?"

"Anything will be fine," he said, tilting his head to the side. "Also?"

John paused in his walk to the door, turning to look back. "Yes?"

"Can you…can you give me just a little more play in the bindings? I can't actually sit up like this and I'd like to help you go through the clothes. But only if you want."

John was back across the room and pushing into Rodney's mouth almost before he could blink. "Yes. Have I mentioned I think you're hot lately?"

"What?" Rodney asked once John backed off. "Why?"

"I need a reason to think you're hot?" John loosened the ties holding his legs, letting them out as far as they would go.

"Well, I am a balding, overweight astrophysicist that you happen to have tied to his own bed. So yes, you do," Rodney answered, finally pushing himself upright. His legs were still spread, but not as widely as before. Scooting forward a little, he bent his knees, easing a little of the stiffness.

John caught his face in a hard grip, forcing him to look up. "You're sexy, amazing, brilliant, and the way you respond to me is probably the hottest thing I have ever seen."

"You just say that because I'm tied to the bed," Rodney said with a wink, the corner of his mouth rising.

"Ah, but tying you to the bed is the only way I can make sure you'll still be here when I get back." John's grip eased, and he brushed a thumb across Rodney's lips.

"Technically, I can untie myself pretty easily if I wanted to. It's not like anything locks."

"Locks are on the list."

Rodney's eyebrow rose. "Are they now?"

"Among other things. Did you know there is a huge adult store in Vegas?"

"No. Why would I know that? And more importantly, how do you know that?"

"After we check in to the hotel, that's our first destination."

"O…kay," Rodney said, looking at John curiously. "What do locks and plugs have in common—or is that something I don't want to know?"

John laughed and released him completely, straightening back up. "We aren't the only ones who enjoy BDSM, Rodney. Most good adult stores carry as much of that gear as they do toys—and we'll be looking over that stuff too. For one thing, we need something better than ties to keep in the apartment."

Rodney felt his eyes widen before the flush highlighted his cheeks. "You'd…really? For me?"

John smiled. "I have a list, remember? A pretty long list. And we have twelve days in Vegas. We'll hit that store first, and then we can play at our leisure."

"I'm going to end up as your sex slave for a week and a half, aren't I?"

John's pupils darkened, and his cock twitched. "I wouldn't say slave exactly, but I do have plans to make you feel very, very good."

"Would it help you to know that I don't really have an objection to any of that?"

"Mmmmm. I can't wait to introduce you to the world of sex toys. As much as you like bottoming, there are a few I think will drive you wild."

Rodney felt himself blush again and he picked up his hand that held his cell-phone. "Lawyer?"

"Yes. I'll go find something for a light lunch, since it'll be dinner soon anyway. And you still have to show me what you bought." John wandered out the door.

Rodney stared at the space John had been in long after he'd left to putter around the kitchen. He was twisting the ring on his finger, not used to the sensation, but the small band offered a comfort and thrill he hadn't expected.

Hell, he hadn't expected any of this really. Especially the whole voluntary bondage thing he was doing right now.

Ask him a few months ago about this and Rodney knew he would have outright refused it, saying it would never happen to him.

John called from the kitchen. "You call yet? It's 1600, so odds are good the office will be closing soon."

"What?" Rodney said, shaking himself out of his thoughts. "No. I'm calling now." Flipping open the phone, he dialed the number from memory—a direct, unlisted one that by-passed the annoying secretary.

The conversation was quick and to the point as Rodney explained what John needed. After answering several questions, he looked up to see the other man walking into the room, two plates in hand.

Asking the lawyer to hold, he handed the phone over to John. "He has few questions for you."

John exchanged the phone for a sandwich, setting his own on the edge of the bed. He paced aimlessly around the whole apartment as he answered the questions he was being asked, until he ended up back in front of Rodney, holding the phone back out. "I think we're good."

Handing off the now-empty plate, Rodney took the phone, finishing a few last pieces of business before hanging up. "You okay with this?"

John had stretched out on his side on the bed, and was eating his own lunch. "If I wasn't, I wouldn't have done it. I know it's weird, but I'll take whatever legal ties to you I can get."

Shifting a little, Rodney turned as much as the bindings would allow so he could look at John. "I just want to make sure. I know how I can be sometimes when I get something in my head."

"I'm the one who wanted these, remember?" John held up his hand and wiggled his ring finger. "And I'm going to ask Teyla about Athosian marriage ceremonies."

"You know we're going to have to tell Elizabeth."

John's face went thoughtful for a moment. "I wouldn't object to it I suppose. My knee-jerk reaction is to say no, but that's training more than anything else. I trust her, and we'll need to let someone other than Carson know we gave each other power of attorney."

"She'll see it when she gets our new paperwork," Rodney said with a shrug. "But that doesn't necessarily mean anything. An Athosian wedding ceremony, however, might."

"Well, I wasn't going to make it general knowledge... but yeah, we should probably tell her anyway."

"Only if you want to or think we need to. This whole conversation might be a moot point anyway," Rodney said with a sigh.

John sat up and scooted closer, pressing his body along Rodney's leg. "We aren't going there yet, remember? Right now, all that matters is the two of us, our vacation, and having so much sex you walk funny for a week."

"Oh, that's not an image I wanted to have."

John chuckled and then rolled off the bed again, grabbing both plates. "All right, we need to sort through our purchases and get everything packed. As it is we're going to have to get up early to get to Denver in time to catch the flight." He tugged the nearest tie loose and then moved to free Rodney's other leg.

"You're letting me up?"

"I'm not going to pack all by myself. Don't worry, I'll tie you back down again later."

"You could have just dragged everything in here, which is actually what I thought you were going to do."

John gave him a long look, then set the plates on the dresser. Picking up the ties, he reattached Rodney to the bed. Tilting his head sideways for a moment, he picked up one of the ones they had used for Rodney's hands, and looped it around Rodney's neck. "I'll be right back."

Chuckling, Rodney shook his head, scratching an itch on his arm as he waited. When John returned with several bags in hand, he dumped the contents out on the bed—half covering McKay with clothes. "Come to think of it, I could have helped you. Did you want—"

"Nope. Start sorting. I'll go get the last of the stuff." John grabbed the tie Rodney was now wearing and used it to pull him forward for a kiss.

Rodney yelped at the sudden movement, not expecting it. John chuckled into his mouth as they kissed.

Releasing him, John sauntered back out to get the rest of the bags.

"Hey. Grab the scissors from the desk while you're in there," Rodney called out, already moving the clothes around, separating them into piles.

"I'll make a third trip." John walked back in loaded down with bags. He dumped them, and then went to get the scissors. When he came back, he scooted onto the bed behind Rodney. "Gonna show me what you bought yet?"

Glancing over his shoulder, Rodney smiled. "Maybe."

John's arms snaked around him, one hand coming to rest on Rodney's hip, the other tugging lightly at the tie. "Okay, this is working for me. I'm adding collars to the list."

"Is it now?" Rodney asked, twisting around so he could catch John's lips in a quick kiss. "I think you like the fact that I'm yours for the taking and that I can't slip away."

John hummed into his mouth before nipping his bottom lip softly. "Maybe."

Chuckling softly, Rodney turned back to the clothes in his lap, leaning back against John. "And maybe I like that, too."

John tightened his arms around Rodney, kissing his shoulder. "You're all mine, and you have no idea how much that turns me on."

"What turns you on exactly—apart from everything, I might add?"

"You. The way you smell," John took several deep breaths against his skin. "The way you taste," John licked along the back of Rodney's neck. "The way you feel," John spread his hands wide on Rodney's stomach. "Everything."

"Mmm," Rodney said, a smile on contentment on his face, covering John's hands with one of his own. He leaned his head back against John's shoulder.

John kissed the corner of his mouth and then leaned his head against Rodney's.

"Do we have to pack?"

"Yes. Neither of are really what I would call morning people, so if we don't we'll be rushing. I don't want to forget anything."

Rodney shrugged. "We could always buy it."

"We need to pack. I plan to spend my vacation looking for new and interesting ways to molest you. I don't want to be distracted by the need to go buy new clothes again."

"I can get behind that plan," McKay said, kissing the bit of skin he could reach before straightening up. "If you give me the scissors I'll start cutting off the tags. There's luggage in the closet of the spare room."

"You have luggage? That's probably better than the duffle I was going to shove everything in." John leaned back to grab the scissors off the bedside table, handing them to Rodney.

"Of course I have luggage! What do you take me for, some backwards buffoon? And it has wheels, too. There's no need to lug baggage if you don't have to."

Laughing, John untangled himself from Rodney and rolled back off the bed. "Sorry, I forget civilians don't have to haul their stuff around like us military brats do. This is going to be almost sinful."

"Almost?" Rodney asked, eyebrow rising, a smirk on his face. "There's going to be great sex, bondage, and then more great sex. What part of 'sinful' does that not fall into?"

"Don't forget the toys. There are a variety of things I plan to put in your ass to make you squirm and beg me for release." John smirked as he left the room, presumably to go find the luggage.

Shaking his head, Rodney quickly got to work, cutting off tags and dumping the garbage in one of the now empty bags. He heard some grumbling from the other side of the apartment, but nothing had thumped or fallen, so everything should be okay.

John finally re-emerged, dragging three mid-sized suitcases behind him. "You need to clean out your closets."

"Why?"

"When you have to use the suitcases to store things because otherwise it won't all fit, that means you either need bigger closets or less stuff. What's ready to be packed?"

"My system works for me," Rodney huffed, but pointed to a pile behind him. "You can take those."

John filled the first suitcase, with the rest of their stuff fitting in the second, with a little room to spare. He put those, along with the empty one, by the door to go. "See, not too bad. And now you can show me what you bought at the electronics store."

"What's with the empty suitcase and did you remember boxers and socks?"

"I told you we're going toy shopping as soon as we get there. We need some way to get them all home." John went through drawers and stuffed boxers and socks into the half-full suitcase. "I put mine in when I had these in the guest room."

"So you're just going to send an empty suitcase? At least spread the weight out."

"Why? What difference does it make?"

"It makes no sense to me to fly with an empty suitcase. Suitcases are meant to be filled with clothing and other items," Rodney said, crossing his hands over his chest. "Did you even think about toiletries?"

"It will be filled with 'other items' on the return trip. You have three suitcases, so why wait until we're there and have to buy a new one? And toiletries? Like what? The hotel will have shampoo and stuff."

"And probably carry a lovely scent of death. No, thank you."

Shaking his head, John rejoined him on the bed. "Considering we'll need to shower again tonight, we can add that stuff to the bags in the morning."

"Fine," Rodney said with a huff, reaching for one of the bags he'd carted around from the electronics store.

John wiggled a little. "I finally get to see what the big secret items are?" When Rodney looked back at him, John had made his eyes wide and big, and his lips kept twitching.

"Maybe."

"I've been a really good boy this year Santa."

"Well, that's certainly up for discussion," Rodney said, peering in one of the bags before he reached into grab an item, pulling it out and handing it to John.

John's eyes widened. "I thought Lucas had said he was never releasing this version of Star Wars on DVD."

"Yeah, well, he did. It's not horrible, but it's also not the original." Rodney shrugged, pulling out another box set.

"Huh." John set Star Wars aside, and took the second set, immediately bursting into laughter. "The Revenge of the Nerds Complete Collection? Is that a hint?"

"If the shoe fits. Do you want to go through the whole pile? There's a bunch more in here."

"How much did you buy?" John peered over his shoulder.

"More than enough to keep us busy watching television for a long time—especially the way we watch television."

"You had me at 'More'." John grinned.

Shaking his head with an amused chuckle, Rodney reached past John to snag the last bag. "Even if we don't go back to Atlantis, I though we could probably use this—even tomorrow on the plane." Digging inside, Rodney pulled out two things: the largest iPod he could find, and a pair of Shure sound-isolating ear buds. "I got us each one. We just need to load it with music."

John's eyes had gone wide again. "Have I mentioned how much I love having a geek as my partner?" He took the iPod almost reverently. "We need to go buy music."

"Just boot up the laptop. I think I have iTunes on there already. Might even have an account set up"

John shimmied off the bed and came back a moment later with his laptop under one arm, and Rodney's under the other. "I didn't know if you wanted them both linked to the same iTunes library or not, so I brought both computers."

"Doesn't matter. I'll manually synch in any case."

John dumped Rodney's computer on the dresser and came back to the bed, handing the computer to Rodney and wrapping himself around his back again. "Johnny Cash—we need everything he's done. And as much classic rock as we can find. What else?"

"How did I guess you were going to insist on Cash?" Rodney glanced over his shoulder, sending an amused expression to John. "I’ll grab a little of everything, how about that?"

John took advantage of the position and pressed a quick kiss to Rodney's lips. "Best. Boyfriend. Ever."

"That's what you say now," he grumbled lightly. "Are you sure we have everything packed? Shoes, too? And did you leave me clothes for the plane?"

John pulled him around to kiss him again, this time a bit deeper. "I'm washing what we wore today for the plane tomorrow. I threw it in earlier, and I'll get up in a bit to move it to the dryer. And yes, I put all but your sneakers in, and a few pairs for me, too."

"Good, good," Rodney said, his attention already focused on the laptop.

They spent the next two hours downloading music, arguing good-naturedly over bands and artists and albums. When Rodney went to add a bunch of classical music, though, John raised an eyebrow. "I would never have pegged you as a Mozart kind of guy."

"I have eclectic tastes. You should know that by now," Rodney replied, his eyes still on the screen.

"I suppose. I never really thought about it, but classical would probably have been the last thing I would have guessed you were in to."

"So, what's for dinner?" Rodney asked, changing the subject as the last five albums began to download.

"I don't know. Your pantry is starting to run a bit low. I have to go poke around and see what I can find."

"Low? It should be stocked. I paid for it to be stocked."

"It is stocked, but I've used up a lot of the perishable things like meats and eggs. I have to go see what's left."

"I'm sure there's plenty in there."

"I'll go look in a minute." John pulled away, then swung around to Rodney's front, settling between his still-stretched wide open legs. Taking the laptop and setting it on the bed next to them, the wicked grin he shot Rodney was the only warning before John was swallowing him down, sucking hard.

"Holy….John!" Rodney yelped.

John hummed around him, using his tongue do to wicked things all along Rodney's dick and along the head.

Rodney ended up on his back, trying not to arch into John's mouth, his hands holding onto the covers next to him as Sheppard did amazing and wicked things to him.

John found Rodney's balls with one of his free hands and began to roll them and tug on them as he sucked.

Moaning and whimpering, Rodney closed his eyes, letting himself fall into the sensation.

John pulled off with an audible pop, his fingers reaching back further to tease Rodney's entrance. "So what sounds good for dinner?"

"Hmm…what?" Rodney asked, totally dazed and fully aroused.

John grabbed the lube off the far side of the bed, pulling his fingers free. He deliberately slicked up one finger and reached back around, pushing it into Rodney as far as it would go, eyes dancing with amusement. "Dinner. What do you want?"

Moaning, Rodney closed his eyes, feeling as John moved his finger back and forth within him—missing his prostate—but driving him crazy all the while. "Don't…care. Oh…god."

"Sure you do. When it comes to food, you always have an opinion. I think I might remember some steak in the freezer, I could do that along with whatever vegetables are in the fridge. Or chicken—there might be some of that too." John tagged his prostate once, and then went back to deliberately missing it. "So what do you want?"

"You…want you," he groaned.

John licked a stripe up Rodney's dick, followed directly by cool air as he blew on the damp skin. "You have me, but I'm not a very nutritious dinner I'm afraid."

"Good…good enough for…now," Rodney panted, the sentence ending in a moan as John added a second finger.

John chuckled, continuing the teasing for what felt like forever. The bastard was keeping everything just short of enough to bring Rodney to the edge—the few times he got close, John withdrew his fingers and tugged Rodney's balls back down, derailing the orgasm.

"John…please," he begged, opening his eyes long enough to glance down at his lover.

John's eyes were both soft and amused at the same time. "I like you like this, hard and needy for me. You're beautiful to watch."

"Want you…please."

"Eventually. The longer I can keep you here, the better it will be when you finally come." John pulled his fingers free and grabbed one of the spare ties, moving to Rodney's head where he tied both his hands together, then secured them to the headboard.

Watching his lover, Rodney whimpered, his cock hard and needy, pre-come leaking from the tip.

John kissed him, pushing into Rodney's mouth, claiming it, only pulling back when Rodney was panting for breath again. "I'd better go see what's in the freezer for dinner—I'll need to defrost something before I can cook it. Be right back."

"Nonononono…don't go…"

"Shhh. It's okay. I'll be right back. I want to give you a minute to cool off before I keep playing since we don't have a cock ring and I'm not ready for you to come yet."

"Come on…John, please…please don't leave me like this…please…" Rodney's mind was spinning with need and desire and hunger—for John, for more. God, his body loved this, wanted this, but he also needed to come. Now.

"I won't leave you like this long, just enough to let you come down from the edge a bit." John climbed off the bed, smiling affectionately. "You really are very pretty like this, all tied up and leaking for me."

"Come on, John…please…"

John kissed the tip of Rodney's dick, swiping his tongue across it to catch the pre-come. "Be right back." He disappeared out the door towards the kitchen.

Panting, Rodney closed his eyes, trying to pull himself back under control, away from the edge that he was teetering on. But god…he needed to come so badly.

John wasn't gone all that long and when he came back Rodney could see his dick was red and hard, too. "You did have some steak. I put it in the microwave to start defrosting."

Rodney turned his head toward John, watching as the other man settled on the edge of the bed next to him. "Should be good steak, too."

"How are you doing?" John put a warm hand on Rodney's stomach, fingers spread wide.

Rodney took a deep breath before answering, John's touch—even on his stomach—going right to his groin. "Apart from the overwhelming need to come, just fine."

John wiggled a finger into Rodney's bellybutton, almost absently diving in and out in the same rhythm he usually finger-fucked. "Good to hear. You'll get to come, just not yet."

Rodney arched his back into John's hand, wanting and needing more sensation. "I…want some help with that?" he finally asked, glancing from John's cock to his lover's face.

"Hmmm, I think I might." John lubed up his fingers again, but this time instead of pushing them into Rodney, he reached around and pushed them into his own ass. "I think I want to feel you inside me."

"Oh god…" Rodney whispered, watching as John stretched himself, fucking himself on his own fingers. He wanted to touch, but like this he couldn't. But at least he could still make John feel good, Rodney thought, some of his frustration falling away.

When he had gotten himself ready, John got Rodney's cock ready and positioned himself over it sinking down slowly with a moan. "After we go...shopping for toys...I'm going to do this...with a vibrator in you...at the same time."

Rodney felt his eyes widening as his breath caught in his throat—from John's words, his promise, and the sensation of John surrounding him, warm and tight. He groaned long and low, his eyes closing as sensation crashed over him.

"Open your eyes. I like to watch you watching me fuck myself on you."

Struggling with his heavy eyelids, Rodney obeyed, finally latching onto John's gaze, his lover's eyes dark with desire and arousal.

"You feel so good inside me, Rodney. So hard and hot." John was rising up slowly and sinking back down. He adjusted the angle a bit, and Rodney felt his shudder when John found his own prostate.

Rodney had no leverage, no way to thrust up into John. He moaned and whimpered as the sensations threatened to send him over the edge. "Oh…god…John…please…"

John nodded and picked up the pace, head thrown back now in wanton pleasure.

One more slide of John over his overly-sensitized cock and Rodney was coming, spilling deep inside John, his body shuddering with pleasure.

When he had finished, John settled so Rodney was still buried deep inside him. His lover managed to reach over and untie his hands. "Touch me... need you to touch me."

Rodney didn't pause, running his hands over the expanse of skin he could reach, threading through the hair on John's chest until his fingers found the nipples and their very pretty rings. With a dirty smirk, Rodney latched on, tugging and tweaking—gently at first, but increasing the pressure as John responded.

John's head fell back again as he panted, hands coming to rest on Rodney's shoulders. Rodney could feel him clenching and shuddering along his softening dick as John fought to hold on as long as possible.

"Come on, John," Rodney whispered, increasing the pressure on his nipples with one hand while his other tracked down to stroke John's cock—just the way he liked it.

"Oh... Rodney... just like that... yes..." John jerked when Rodney switched nipples, and then he was coming, leaning forward to pant into Rodney's neck.

Rodney held John through his orgasm, kissing whatever skin he could reach as his lover slowly came back down.

"Mmmmm."

Rodney held on tightly, breathing deeply, the scent of John and sex filling his senses.

"I need to go check on the steaks." John didn't move.

"It'll keep."

"True. You feel good."

"You feel better."

John angled his head so he could look at Rodney's face. "Your legs have got to be getting sore from being like this for so long."

"A little stiff maybe, but I'm okay."

"I want you to be able to walk tomorrow."

"I think that might depend on how many times you fuck me tonight," Rodney said with a half-smile as his stomach rumbled.

John grinned. "I should probably go see about dinner. It'll take a while to cook everything."

"Okay," he said, leaning up to give John a light kiss.

With a sigh, John sat up, hissing a little as he got up high enough to pull off Rodney. "I'm going to untie you so you can come keep me company in the kitchen. Bring the laptop so you can load the iPods."

"Okay. I probably should stop in the bathroom, too."

"Okay." John worked the knots free, bending down to kiss each of Rodney's ankles, using his tongue to soothe the grooves a bit.

Rodney sat up slowly, watching his lover. "You know these ties are ruined for anything other than bondage now."

"I don't know, seeing you wearing a tie to I know was keeping you secured to the bed  the night before some formal event is kind of kinky."

"You'll never get the wrinkles out though," Rodney pointed out, letting John pull him from the bed, steadying him when his legs argued about being upright.

"A few wrinkles will add to your mad scientist image."

"Maybe."

Rodney could feel John's smile when the man leaned in to kiss him. "You steady enough to make it to the bathroom and kitchen without me?"

"Of course," Rodney said, rolling his eyes. "Been doing the walking thing for years."

Lips quirking, John released his grip on Rodney's elbow. "True, but usually not after I've had you tied down for hours and fucked you senseless a few times."

"Technically, you only fucked me once," Rodney said, the corner of his mouth lifting. "It okay if I clean up a bit?"

"Yes, but don't shower yet. I want to do that with you after dinner."

With an eyebrow on the rise, Rodney nodded as he started toward the bathroom. "Yes, sir."

John sucked in a breath as he watched Rodney walk into the bathroom before turning to head to the kitchen.

Taking care of business and cleaning off the come didn't take long—ten minutes tops—before Rodney padded into the kitchen, the iPods in one hand, the laptop in the other, cords dangling as he walked. John was already cooking, rummaging around in the fridge, his boxer-clad ass on display.

"Hey…how come you get to wear clothes?"

Head popping up, John grinned. "Because I decided to put a pair on. I can't cook naked. It's just wrong somehow. But I like you naked."

"But I can program electronics naked?" Rodney slid into one of the kitchen chairs after dumping everything on the table, hooking up the power cord to the nearby outlet.

"You aren't standing around hot pans with the potential for drips."

"Okay," Rodney said, hooking up John's iPod first. "You have a point there."

Smirking, John brought the vegetables he had been digging out of the fridge to the center island, where a cutting board and knife were already waiting.

"Your bits are far too valuable to risk with drippings."

"Valuable?" John laughed as he started chopping carrots.

Rodney glanced up, meeting John's eyes. "Very valuable. How else do you plan on keeping a genius astrophysicist happy?"

"It's a tough job, but I think I'm up to the task—if you don't break me first." John winked at him.

Chuckling, McKay turned back to the computer. "I doubt that. Might be the other way around, actually."

"Nah, I'm really careful with things I love."

"Are you now?"

"I've taken good care of you so far, haven't I?" John tossed a piece of carrot, hitting Rodney between the eyes when he looked up. His lover grinned unrepentantly at him.

McKay scowled. "As much as I enjoy the whole tied up thing, I’m not a circus animal."

"Don't poke the bears?"

"I can stop loading your iPod, you know."

John made his eyes wide, sticking his lower lip out a little. "You wouldn't do that to me, would you?"

"In a heartbeat."

The pathetic, injured look Sheppard was trying to project was ruined by his lips, which kept twitching upwards.

"I thought you were cooking, anyway," Rodney said, shaking his head.

"I can cook and heckle at the same time. I'm multi-tasking." John picked his knife back up and went back to slicing vegetables.

"Wonderful. Just wonderful," Rodney muttered, turning back to the computer, making sure he loaded the right songs onto John's iPod. They were quiet for a time—John cooking and puttering around the kitchen, occasionally touching Rodney's shoulder as he worked.

The kitchen slowly filled with the smell of cooking steak and vegetables—John was tossing them in a pan with garlic and a little butter. "This is going to be done pretty soon."

"I'm almost finished," Rodney replied, without looking up. "Need me to get dishes and whatnot?"

"Nah, finish up with that. I'll get the rest." John moved close enough to drop a kiss on Rodney's shoulder.

"Okay." Rodney listened to John move around the kitchen, plates and utensils appearing on the table a few moments later before Sheppard moved back to the oven.

A few minutes later, a steak appeared on the plate in front of him, quickly followed by the rest of the meal, and then John dropped into the seat across from him. "Eat while it's hot. You can finish up after dinner."

"Two minutes."

"Rodney, it'll still be there when you're done eating."

"And in two minutes I won't have to worry about it after dinner."

John snorted. "Two minutes, then I take the laptop away."

"Fine, fine," Rodney replied. Two minutes later, John was moving to the laptop, closing the lid. "Wait, wait, wait! One more file and I’m done."

"It's been two minutes. After you eat, you can have it back." John set the computer on the counter and sat back down.

"One more file and I could have shut it down for the rest of the night and been done with it," Rodney countered, his arms crossed over his chest, staying there for less than a second before he started gesturing. "You ask me to load the iPods and then give me a hard time when I'm trying to finish it up."

Reaching across the table, John caught one of Rodney's gesturing hands. "I'm not giving you a hard time. I just know you need to eat, and steak really isn't good cold."

"One file. I wasn't asking for an hour."

John sighed, and waved at the computer. "One file. Any more than that, and I swear I will tie you to the chair and feed you dinner one bite at a time."

Rodney rose, heading to the counter, opening the lid and waiting for the computer to wake up from its energy-saver mode. "And you realize that had you just let me finish I would be eating already?"

"Mmph." When Rodney glanced over, John waved his fork.

"Just pointing it out."

John left him alone for a few minutes, then there was heat pressed all along Rodney's back. "Okay, that's more than one file."

"Actually, it's not. I’m waiting for it to finish copying and then I need to disconnect the iPod and shut everything down."

John rested his head on Rodney's shoulder so he could look at the screen. "Is that the second one, or do you still have to load music onto the other one?"

"The second one. This is it until we buy more music," Rodney said, finally walking through the last few steps.

When he finished he shut the computer down and he turned in John's arms, who gave him a light kiss. "All done?"

"All done."

"Can we eat now?"

"I wasn't exactly stopping you."

"I wanted to wait for you." John pulled away and sat back down.

"And look, both steaks are cold now," Rodney said as he slid into his seat. "What a brilliant idea."

"Actually, they're not too bad. I can heat them up in the microwave though if you need me to."

"No. It's fine. I've eaten worse, much worse," Rodney said, cutting into the meat and taking a bite, already shifting to the vegetables.

Shaking his head, John started on his own meal, letting a companionable silence fall over them.

It didn't take long for Rodney to finish eating, passing by John in the matter of seconds. He dropped his utensils on the plate with finality as he leaned back. "Oh, that was good."

John chuckled. "Glad I could be of service."

"You always are." Letting out a small burp, Rodney rose to his feet, taking his plate to the sink, rinsing it with water before loading it in the dishwasher.

"Enough to convince you to do the rest of the dishes?"

Rodney shrugged. "It's not like its hard work."

"Yeah, but I hate doing dishes."

"Then why did you insist on doing them the other night?" Rodney moved back to the table, picking up the other empty dishes and bowls, working efficiently.

"Because if it comes down to leaving dirty dishes in the sink or doing them myself, I'd rather clean up. That way when I want to cook again, I don't have to bother with scrubbing pans."

"See, I have no such compunction."

"You also don't like to cook."

"And is that supposed to make me feel better? Take-out is so much easier," Rodney said, grabbing John's now empty plate.

John came up behind him at the sink, resting his hands lightly on Rodney's hips. "Easier yes, but not nearly as good."

"Compared to my cooking, ten times better. Compared to yours, not so much," Rodney said, leaning back against John. "Although I had found some fantastic places before I was shipped to parts unknown."

"We'll have to try them out some time. I know of a few good places in Vegas, too. Most of them are off the beaten path, but the one in the Paris hotel is actually pretty good if we can get reservations."

"I'm sure we can," Rodney replied, getting back to work rinsing and stacking, washing only the ones that the dishwasher wouldn't clean.

"Why don't I go grab one of the DVDs you bought while you finish up here? We can watch something and then turn in early. We're going to have to set the alarm so we don't miss the plane tomorrow."

"Yes, I have no intention in missing our flight or driving like a maniac to Denver," Rodney replied, glancing over his shoulder as John moved toward the bedroom where all the DVDs were still scattered.

"Just because I drive fast doesn't mean I'm not in control of the car!" John called out from the bedroom. A few minutes later he came back, holding up two cases. "I narrowed it down to 'Kill Bill Volume 1' or 'School of Rock'. Got a preference?"

Rodney glanced over his shoulder and shrugged. "Doesn't matter to me. Not like we're going to be watching it anyway."

"Sure we will. I vote for Kill Bill then." John wandered back out to the living room.

It took Rodney a few more minutes to finish cleaning up, the realization that he was doing all of these chores naked not getting past him. It was still weird, odd, strange, but John seemed to like it. And for that smile Rodney knew he'd do just about anything.

When he finally made it out to the living room, John was sprawled on the couch waiting. "We're all set—just have to hit play."

"So, hit it."

"Come here first." John positioned him so his back was against his lover's chest, John's arms wrapped loosely around Rodney's waist, with both of them stretched out along the couch. He nuzzled Rodney's neck for a moment before reaching for the remote and hitting play.

"I'm not crushing you or anything?" Rodney asked after a moment, shifting so he didn't have John's hipbone digging into him.

"Nope. I like having you against me like this."

"We're actually going to watch a movie?" he asked after a few minutes as the opening credits finished rolling.

John huffed into his neck, and Rodney could feel his lover's lips were stretched in a smile as he pressed a kiss into the skin there. "We can watch movies together you know."

"It's just…I never just watch movies anymore."

"Then you can just sit back and enjoy." John's arms tightened around him briefly.

"I don't know if I can do that anymore. There's always something happening—invasion, computer issues, sex, imminent destruction…"

"I have every confidence in your movie-watching abilities."

Rodney sighed, leaning back again, head resting on Sheppard's shoulder, his hands over John's. It only took five minutes before he sighed again. "This isn't working."

John kissed the side of his temple. "What can I do to help?"

"I don't know. I need to be…doing something. Sitting here doing nothing like this is just such a foreign concept these days."

One of John's hands moved up, where it started to lightly roll one of his nipples. "Watching a movie and letting me fondle you—that counts as multi-tasking, right?"

"Uh…" Rodney said, trembling under John's touch. "Yeah. Think so."

"Good." John kept his caresses soft and light, moving at random points in the movie, going between nipples, once diving down to toy with Rodney's balls for a bit before drifting to his thighs, his stomach, his chest hair—no skin within John's reach was left untouched.

That little touch was all he needed, helping to ground him, relax him without pushing him to the edge of arousal.

When the movie was over, John growled a little at the screen. "Okay, that was a crappy place to end. I did see Volume 2 in there, right? We'll have to watch it when we get back from Vegas."

"Mmm…maybe. I bought a lot," Rodney replied quietly.

"We'll have to check." John brought his wandering hand to Rodney's face, angling it so he could kiss him. "Relaxed?"

"Very. Thank you."

"I think we should watch movies more often so I can have the excuse to touch you like this."

"I didn't think we needed an excuse," Rodney said, leaning back so he could look up at John. "I…it's like I need you to touch me. You're far too addicting."

"Mmmm." John kissed him again. "I feel the same way. The more I touch you, the more I want to touch you. I start to get twitchy if I go too long."

"And we can't have that, can we?"

"Nope. Guess I'll just have to put my hands all over you at every opportunity."

Rodney shifted so he was facing John a little more, managing to snake his arm behind the other man's back. "I think you have, too. My very survival might depend upon it."

"Mmmm, I can't risk letting the smartest man in two galaxies waste away." John captured his mouth for a lazy kiss.

Once John backed off, Rodney replied. "No, you can't. Who will come up with plans to save the galaxy then?"

"I guess I had better make sure I don't slip then. Make my quota and all that."

"And we might need to stock up for busy times and all," Rodney said, smiling into John's lips, his hand setting on top of John's chest, fingers resting on a nipple.

John gasped softly, then dove back into Rodney's mouth until they were breathless again. "I've always been a big believer in stockpiling."

"Mmmm….good," Rodney panted.

John brought one hand up to start fondling Rodney's nipple, while the other went down, finding his balls again, moving to the same pattern. "Have I mentioned how much I like you naked?"

"Recently," Rodney groaned, pressing into John's body. "No…no you haven't."

"I love the access it provides. Anything I want to touch, and its all right there waiting for me."

"Always," Rodney whispered, pressing his lips to John's neck.

John let his hands roam again, this time with the intent to arouse instead of soothe.

As Rodney climbed higher, he returned the favor as well, teasing and caressing John, their movements lazy, without the desperateness of other encounters.

"We left the lube in the bedroom."

"We could move."

"I'd have to stop touching you."

"Not really. I'm sure you can figure it out. MENSA and all."

"I'm smarter than I look." John twirled his thumb over the tip of Rodney's dick, drawing a circle across it over and over.

"Oh…yeah…feels good…yes, you can."

"I can what?"

"Do whatever you want," he panted.

John picked up the same circles he was pressing into the head of Rodney's dick on one of his nipples, only in the opposite direction. "What if I wanted to see if you could come just from this, without anything else?"

Rodney shuddered, a moan escaping from his throat.

Without picking up the pace or pushing any harder with either hand, John started breathing kisses along Rodney's shoulder.

The pressure built slowly, but accumulated until John was the only thing he could feel. John's hands on him, touching, teasing, and surrounding him. Trembling, Rodney was reduced to moans and whimpers, his own caresses of John pausing in his effort to just hang on.

John's lips moved along his jaw and up to his ear, which was nibbled and sucked. "Give it up for me, Rodney, just like this."

His climax was surprising, sweet and gentle, but leaving him even more breathless than normal.

John continued the caresses until it was just this side of too much. He re-settled his hands on Rodney's hips, just holding him as he recovered.

Rodney slumped against John, head against his chest, listening to his lover's heart beat and just simply breathing.

John pushed his face into Rodney's hair, pressing occasional kisses into it, letting them both enjoy the quiet moment together.

"Now this…this is the way to watch a movie."

Chuckling, John tightened his arms briefly. "You mean there are other ways to do it?"

"So I've been told," Rodney said with a sigh, his eyes closed as he breathed in the smell of sex and John. "People sit and watch a movie. Eat popcorn. Drink soda. Kinda strange actually."

"I like our version better. Watch and fondle, then have sex."

"Mmm," Rodney smiled, burrowing in a little closer. "Me, too."

"It's almost 2000. As much as I hate to suggest it, we should probably go to bed pretty early tonight. Get rested for the trip in tomorrow and the playing we'll be doing tomorrow night."

"It's early."

"I wasn't saying we had to go to bed now. Just sooner rather than later. For one thing, we need to shower."

"Hmm…true."

"And I want a blowjob. You give fucking amazing blowjobs."

"'kay."

"Maybe shower sex. Remind me to pick up some waterproof lube when we're at the sex store. Conditioner works in a pinch, but really we should use something designed for wet fucking. Then we could find a hot tub and try sex there, or maybe at the beach, in the ocean. It would be kind of kinky to know I'm inside you with people all around, but since it's under the water line they can't really see what we're doing."

"Hmm…sure."

John chuckled. "Sated and post-coital is a good place for you."

"Not complaining."

John kissed the side of Rodney's neck again. Grabbing the remote with one hand, he turned off the DVD player and let the television come on, flipping channels until he found the Discovery Channel, showing MythBusters. He put the remote down to wrap both arms around Rodney again.

Rodney dozed, warm and comfortable in John's arms, until he was shaken awake sometime later.

"Hey, we really need to shower and get to bed. You're falling asleep anyway."

"Hmmm…was asleep," Rodney replied, finally opening his eyes to look up at John's amused ones.

"I noticed that. Come on. Let's get you cleaned up and into the vastly more comfortable bed."

"You're comfy and I've slept on the couch many more times than I'd like to admit."

John turned off the television, and got Rodney sitting up, sliding from out behind him and standing, turning to offer a hand up. "You'll sleep better if we get you clean first."

Rodney yawned. "I'm not so sure about that. I was sleeping pretty well."

John pulled him to his feet, keeping their hands linked together as he led them into the bathroom. "I'll make the shower hot and quick, and then you can go back to sleep."

"Still have to take care of you, though," Rodney said eyes drifting down between them.

"I'll live. You had some serious sleep to catch up on, and you're cute when you're sleepy." John reached in to start the hot water, then stepped out and pulled off his boxers.

"Cute is one word that will never be associated with Rodney McKay," he sniffed as John pulled him into the shower.

"Since the only time I would ever dare use that word to describe you would be just before you fall asleep or just after you wake up—when you're relaxed and loose—I'll agree that it isn't the usual adjective for you. I save the 'cute' and 'fucking hot' moments for myself, and let the world have everything else." John grinned as he gave Rodney a quick, wet kiss before grabbing the washcloth and soap.

Leaning back against the wall, Rodney waited for John, smiling shyly at him when he saw the other man's surprised expression. "What?"

John stepped in for a deep kiss before responding. "Never change."

"What did I do this time?"

John began to run the soapy washcloth along Rodney's body, careful to get every patch of skin. "You were you."

"Okay," he replied, taking a breath and closing his eyes, letting John do his thing.

In what was becoming part of the routine, when John turned him to wash his back, he also massaged the muscles, spending time working his fingers into the lingering knots of tension that Rodney hadn't lived without in years.

Picking up his arms, he leaned against the wall, pillowing his head on them as John's hands worked at his muscles, humming as parts of him un-clenched.

After a while, John's hands left him, and the water turned off. John pulled him lightly out of the stall, grabbing a towel to rub Rodney down. Then he walked them both into the bedroom, pulling Rodney into bed behind him.

"Wait. I thought you wanted—"

"Hmm?" John scooted up the bed, spreading his legs obscenely and holding his arms out for Rodney to come join him.

McKay looked at him for a moment before shifting his trajectory, landing at the foot of the bed instead, staring at John's cock. "Hello, there."

"Are you talking to me or my dick?" John was shaking with the effort of suppressing his laughter.

Rodney ignored him, moving closer, breathing on the tip, his lips inches away.

He heard John's breath hitch, and his cock, which had been half-hard, started to show serious interest.

Smiling, Rodney used all the techniques he knew—licking, blowing lightly, breathing, smelling—even before he finally opened his mouth and took John in.

And then he proceeded to suck out John's brains.

John was making a variety of noises, ranging from begging to moaning to ordering him to keep doing that, never stop. Out of the corner of Rodney saw his lover's hands clenching and unclenching in the sheets.

Pulling back for a moment, Rodney took a breath before diving in again, swallowing him down. Using his tongue and teeth and suction, he brought John to the edge and then relaxed his throat, letting him slide in the rest of the way, the head of John's dick hitting the back of his throat. And then he swallowed, feeling and hearing John convulse around him, drinking down every drop. He held him until he softened, licking and cleaning him off. With a final kiss, he crawled up the bed, laying down beside him, a smug smile on his face.

"Better?"

"Nng."

Chuckling, Rodney slid under the blankets, adjusting the pillow behind his head.

John immediately curled into him, wrapping himself around Rodney.

"Night, John."

"Love you."

"I know."

John's breathing evened out almost immediately, as his post-coital relaxation carried him into sleep.

Rodney drifted for a while after that, his earlier nap a little more counterproductive now that he had to go to sleep.

This was still so amazing, to have this, be like this. Lifting his hand, he stared at the ring on his hand in the semi-darkness of the bedroom, the light from the living room spilling in through the door.

Jeanie would be surprised. Shocked is more like it, he realized as he thought about his sister for the first time in years. She'd probably think he was a hypocritical ass, but then she might actually be right. She had been right about a lot of things.

Slumber eventually overtook him and he slept, only to be woken up by John—standing over him and shaking him. Apparently the whole "set the alarm clock" thing had been beyond both of them and they had ten minutes to get out of the house or they would miss their flight.

So much for not having to rush.

After a quick trip to Starbucks, they were on their way—coffee and muffin in hand—not that he enjoyed either. With his eyes closed for the majority of the drive to the Denver airport, Rodney held on and prayed they'd make it in one piece so he could have the privilege of killing John later.

They were able to relax once they actually made it to the terminal and checked in—with forty-five minutes to spare. Rodney did not want to know the speeds they'd been traveling.

While John aimed for the newsstand to grab some magazines and a book or two, Rodney headed for the food court. He'd gotten stuck behind two air-headed women obviously on vacation and unable to make a decision between the two of them.

And who in their right mind named a real person Ginger?

Grabbing two coffees and another Danish to share with John, Rodney found the other man lounging at the gate, his nose buried in a car magazine.

The flight itself was uneventful—always a good thing—and Rodney managed to sleep through most of it, mostly due to his headphones and iPod. He couldn't have picked better. He needed to send Apple a thank you note since he didn't hear any of the whiny children he'd watch board the plane.

Baggage claim was its usual nightmare, but once they grabbed their bags and a taxi after standing on the cab line from hell, they were finally on their way. They were finally on vacation.

When they made it to the hotel—which was massive and impressive in its own right. They dragged their bags to the check-in desk after standing in line for nearly thirty minutes. John pulled out his ID, handing it over when the woman looked up offering him a canned smile. "Hi. We have a reservation for twelve nights under the name Sheppard."

"Of course, sir. Let me find your reservation," the clerk said. Her fingers clicked against the keyboard and she frowned. "John Sheppard?"

"Yup, that's me." John flashed her a lazy grin.

"If you could follow me, then, sir," she said already moving behind the long desk, glancing back to make sure they were following.

"John? What's going on?"

John shot him a confused look. "No idea. She wants us to follow her."

"Yes yes. I was standing there. I heard her say that."

Shrugging, John followed the young woman into a different area of the lobby, through a set of doors marked 'VIP'. Once there, she led them into a plush office. "Um, I think there might have been a mistake..." John was looking around carefully, the 'placate the natives' expression firmly in place.

"No, sir. Someone will be with you in a minute," she said, handing over a slip of paper to the receptionist.

As they sat down, John looked over at Rodney. "I don't suppose this is your doing? A birthday present maybe?"

"No. Not me," Rodney said, his eyes wide. A well-dressed man stepped into the lobby a few moments later, a smile on his face. "Mister Sheppard," he said, holding out his hand as John rose to his feet. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. If you'll be so kind as to follow me we can get you checked in."

John looked over at Rodney, gesturing for him to follow as well—they left the bags with the receptionist at her suggestion. When they sat in the small office, John looked around. "Ah, mind telling us what's going on? I have to assume you don't treat all your guests to...personal...attention like this?"

"Of course not," he said. His desk's nameplate said "Charles Berger". "Only a select few receive such attention to detail. I apologize for not including the information in your original reservation. There was no need for you to stand on the check-in line."

"O...kay, ah, Charles. I didn't realize I had booked a VIP room in the first place."

"Your assistant…Roger called to update your reservation. Should that not have been done?"

"My..." John's eyes went wide, and then to Rodney's amusement he flushed a very bright red. "Roger is, ah, industrious that way. He didn't tell me he was upgrading me—must have wanted it to be a surprise."

"He was very specific regarding your requirements," Charles said, his eyes fixed on the computer screen. "Your room is ready and your car is with the valet." He paused for a moment, nodding to himself before he turned back to John. "Your bags will be delivered to your room within the next ten minutes." He then began to hand over several things Sheppard. "This is your claim for the car. I have two keys for you as well. Access to the spa and concierge services are free, of course. Just call to make sure there are appointments available if you want any special services. The kitchen has been pre-stocked with some items. If it's missing anything, just let us know."

John took all the items with a bemused expression. "Thanks. I'm sure the room will be perfect—knowing Roger." They stood and all shook hands.

"Gerald will show you to your room," Charles said with a smile. "Enjoy your time with us and please let us know how we can make it more enjoyable."

Nodding, John put a hand on Rodney's lower back to steer him out the door first, following closely behind. They met up with Gerald, who took them up an elevator to what John assumed was a reserved section of the hotel. The man opened the door, handing over the keys and wishing them a pleasant stay.

"John?" Rodney knew his eyes were wide and probably reflected the same shocked expression on his lover's face.

John looked around the suite—which was amazingly well-appointed. "Um, I might have mentioned we were planning on coming to stay here when I ordered the clothes from Roger. I guess he decided to take a hand in our vacation."

A knock on the door interrupted John, who walked over and chatted with the bell as he delivered the bags, leaving them in the entranceway as John requested before backing out with a pleasant smile.

Rodney had started inspecting the room—rooms. There was a small kitchen, living room with a huge television with a nice-sized half-bath attached to it. The bedroom…Rodney stood in the doorway staring at it until John walked up behind him. "Just what did you tell Roger?"

"Holy—" John's eyes had gone wide. "He, ah, knows about my kink for bondage. Shit, I didn't even know you could get rooms like this..." John had moved to the bed, trailing his hands along the sturdy posts, tugging on the straps that were attached to them.

"Am I hallucinating? Is this some kind of a dream that I'm going to wake up from?" Rodney asked as he moved forward, his eyes finding the various hooks and loops—connection points—on the huge king-sized canopied bed.

"If this is a dream, I hope we never wake up." John had moved to inspect the items artfully arranged on a table next to the bed—it looked like various oils, lotions, even lube.

Rodney walked into the master bathroom—still dazed—only to find a huge whirlpool tub and shower that rivaled what they had on Atlantis—almost.

John came up behind him and wrapped his arms around Rodney's waist. "I think I can survive twelve days in this room. It will be a hardship, but I'm willing to endure for you."

"I'm not leaving anytime soon, am I? Rodney asked glancing over his shoulder.

John grinned. "I'd say no, but before we get too distracted, I do want to go stock up. We'll have a lot more fun if we get the toys before we start playing."

"And you got a car?"

"That was me, yes. I figured we'd need one, being here this long." John moved away, bouncing on his toes a little. "Let's go check it out, and find the adult store."

"I'm almost afraid to ask what kind of car you got, especially since they have it in the valet," Rodney commented as John guided him back out, a hand in the small of his back. The bags had magically been dragged into the bedroom—while he'd been gawking apparently.

"A nice one. The kind of car I could never own because I would probably get myself into far too much trouble."

"You know that you have nothing to compensate for," Rodney said as they stepped into the elevator.

John laughed, pressing Rodney into the side of the elevator. "I'll keep that in mind. But this car is the closest thing you can get to flying on the ground."

Rodney stole a kiss, humming into John's mouth.

When the door opened, John grinned, slipping his hand into Rodney's as they walked out. He handed the valet tag to the concierge, and a few minutes later a very expensive looking gun-metal grey car came roaring up. "Ferrari F430 Spyder." John's tone was almost reverent.

"You have got to be kidding me."

"Isn't she beautiful?" John caressed the line of the door, taking the key from a grinning valet.

Rodney shook his head, but got in as the valet held the door for him, John joining him a moment later as he slid into the driver's side. "You promise not to kill us, right?"

John hummed, still busy running his hands over the red leather of the interior, the gauges, the stick-shift. "You know we're going out into the desert one day so I can see how fast I can push her, right?"

"I'm a dead man."

With a dreamy look, John started the car, purring along with the engine as he put it in drive and eased them out of the hotel.

The weaved their way through traffic, the car getting many, many looks as they drove down the strip before heading out, away from the crowds. "Do you actually know where you're going?"

John had slipped his aviator sunglasses on as they had pulled out, and he glanced over, a huge grin on his face. "Yup! I've been there a few times before, so I actually do know exactly where we're going."

"You're been there before? Getting what, exactly, or don't I want to know because it'll end up being about an ex that I really don't want to know about?"

John flushed a bit. "Actually, it was for me. The last few times I was in Vegas was after I'd had some…bad times. I wasn't with anyone, and needed to let go for a while. I picked up a few things to, ah, give myself some stress relief."

"O…kay," Rodney said, not quite understanding, but willing to leave it at that. "So how far is it?"

John was silent for a moment before volunteering a bit more information. "Last time was after I got the black mark. I needed a bit of hard use to remind me I was alive, at least, and to forget everything. The toys were for my own enjoyment in the hotel. And it's not far. I'm actually taking the long way."

"You mean you had someone…"

"There are places you can go that will give you whatever you want. At that particular time in my life, I wanted to be hurt." He sighed. "It was a bad time, Rodney. It was either that, drink myself senseless, or run my car into a wall. I figured being fucked until I was covered in bruises and bleeding was probably the least destructive option."

Rodney felt himself pale. "You…"

John's hand came over, grabbing his and twining their fingers together. "It was a while ago, and I got over it. I wasn't court-martialed, I got my new assignment, and then I got sent to a brand new galaxy and discovered the person I love. In the long run, everything worked out for the better."

"But…how…" Rodney shook his head, his mind racing and standing still at the same time.

"How...? I'll tell you anything you want to know."

"How could you do something like that? John, you're not a stupid man….how…" Rodney trailed off, not sure where to go, what to ask.

"I was careful. That was the one thing I insisted on—protection. And I used places I knew screened people carefully. But... I was hurting, Rodney. I had just lost my entire platoon, nearly died trying to save them against orders, and when I got back I was immediately taken into custody and given a black mark. I was sent on enforced leave, not knowing if, when I got back for the trial, I was even still going to have a career. I was probably closer to self-destructing that I'm really comfortable admitting, and that was the only thing I could find to ground me at the time. The pain...helped. Gave me something to focus on for a while."

"And now you're back here and you don't know if you'll have a career when you're done. Interesting parallels."

"But there's one difference, and it’s a big one—you. I was alone last time, and I think that's why I took it so hard. Now...no matter what happens I have you, so it's okay. We'll deal with it together." John squeezed his hand.

"I knew you had suicidal tendencies, but I never knew they ran this deep," Rodney muttered.

"I had nothing else back then—flying was it. Now...now I have love, friends, a partner... That was probably the darkest time in my life, but it's in the past. I'm not that person anymore."

"Says the man who rode a nuclear bomb…"

"I didn't do it because I wanted to die, or get hurt. I did it to make sure you were safe."

"So everything is all daisies and roses now. Is that how this works?" Rodney asked, finding heat in his voice and anger that he'd thought he'd put away.

"No. But I don't know what else I can say to make you understand. You're more important to me than anything else. I'll do whatever is necessary to protect you. I hope to god that doesn't include any more bombs of any sort, but I won't sit by and watch you die without exhausting every option to prevent it either."

"While I commend that kind of attitude, in this case I'd rather you didn't because that means you're going to be putting yourself at risk more often than I'm comfortable with."

"I promise, if you can think of any other alternatives that don't involve me putting myself in danger, I'll be more than happy to take them."

"It's just…" Rodney said, finally looking up, vaguely realizing that John had pulled over several minutes ago. "I just…I'm selfish. I don't want to lose this."

"That's not selfish, or if it is, I'm right there with you. I don't want this to end, and I don't want either of us hurt or worse. I trust you, and that brain of yours, to watch my back while I watch yours. We live dangerous lives, so I can't promise nothing will ever happen. I do my best to make sure you get home in one piece. I know I can count on you to do the same."

Holding John's eyes for a long moment, he finally nodded, knowing this wasn't the end of the conversation by a long shot, but for right now it was. Things could change in two week's time. They could be stuck on Earth and the most dangerous activity they did was cross the street to get to Starbucks.

But today, this week, was for them.

John leaned over and kissed him, tenderly, deeply. "We okay?"

"For now, probably."

"Ready to go toy shopping?"

"What is it with you and shopping?" Rodney asked, trying to lighten the dark mood that had settled over them.

John grinned, putting the car back in drive and pulling back onto the street. "The best way to start any vacation is to stock up on everything at the beginning. That way when you want to spend the day tying people to beds and having your wicked way with them, you're all set."

"I have to say that this is the first time I've had that kind of experience."

"This is the first time I've ever gone this far. In the past it was just a game. With you, it actually means something. I want to make you feel good." John pulled into the parking lot of a big building with a huge sign that said 'ADULT WAREHOUSE'.

"Are you sure this is the place? It's a little…loud. Isn't it?"

"Yeah, but they've got the biggest selection. Otherwise we would have to hit ten different specialty stores." John got out of the car, coming around to pull Rodney out. He took off his sunglasses to reveal sparking eyes to go along with the huge grin.

"And let me guess," Rodney said as he rolled his eyes. "You know where those are, too."

"One or two, but most of them I would have had to go online to find. Before the time I told you about, when I was just out of Academy and still young and stupid, I went through a plug phase. I probably hit every sex store in five states trying to find the perfect one."

"Somehow I think you're just telling me that to make me less nervous."

"You're going to love them. And that's just the beginning of what we're getting here. We won't be able to try everything here in Vegas, but that's what the extra suitcase is for. We have all the time in the world to go through them at our leisure later." John linked their fingers together and pulled Rodney towards the entrance.

Warehouse didn’t begin to explain what he saw when he walked through the door. Granted, Rodney wasn't a complete virgin when it came to sex toys, but to see this many and so many different types and kinds was simply overwhelming.

It was hard to even imagine where you'd start.

John let him look around and get his bearings for a minute. "Why don't we start with the toys, then do the bondage gear last?"

"Uh…sure," Rodney said, knowing full-well his eyes were about ready to pop out of his head.

A woman—dressed quite professionally apart from the massive cleavage she boasted—approached them. "Gentlemen, welcome. Can I be of service?"

John shook his head. "Nope, we plan to browse a bit. We are, however, planning to purchase quite a bit. Is there anywhere we can leave our items so we aren't carrying too much?"

"Of course. We can set aside one of the fitting rooms if you'd like. I’m sure you'll have to make use of it before you make your final purchase."

John nodded. "Perfect. I do have an idea on sizes, but there are a few things we'll probably need to try."

"If you'd follow me we can get you set up in one of the rooms."

John hadn't let go of Rodney's hand, and he tugged him along making note of their fitting room, thanking the sales girl, then they were standing in front of row upon row of dildos, plugs, beads... there were more things designed to be put up ones ass than Rodney had ever imagined.

"Where do you even start?"

"Here." John was looking over the items carefully, putting a few in the basket and telling Rodney what they were as he went along. "This is a prostate massager. Trust me when I tell you multiple male orgasms are possible with one of these. This, and this," he pulled two more items off the shelves, "are plugs, one just feels good, the other vibrates. John paused in front of an end-cap, eyes dancing. When Rodney looked at the display, he saw a fancy sign declaring the items to be Swarovski Crystal Anal Plugs. John added a blue one to the basket.

"Was that metal?"

"Yes. But it was small—that's the type of plug you'll be able to wear for long periods of time."

"I…what?" Rodney asked, shaking his head as John tugged him along toward more insertable items.

"Oh! Beads, we need a set of those, maybe two—a hard set and a soft one." John threw one of each kind in. He picked up a long metal dildo with three bulbs on the end. "Oh, I bet this will feel amazing."

"And you…know what to do with all of this…stuff?"

"Most of it is pretty self-explanatory. I'm getting different version of the same types of toys, since they'll feel different inside you. Once we try them all, you'll develop favorites we'll use more often I'm sure, but for now, it's best to have a variety." John added a regular dildo and one that vibrated to their collection of toys.

"Variety."

"To try." He picked up a set of two small balls. "I bet you'll like these. They're a version of the ben wa balls. When inside you, ever time you move it'll set off what feels like vibrations. But since there's no electronics involved, there's no noise. I know you worry about that."

Rodney nodded, watching as John added some more items to the basket. He turned, his eyes drifting over the rows and rows of items. Some things he wanted no part of. Enema and electrical stuff was just…no. And the medical stuff…he got enough of the real stuff from Carson to last several lifetimes.

When he looked back, John had moved into another aisle and was adding nipple clamps—several kinds—to the collection, followed by a heavy metal ring that the sign proclaimed to be a 'ball stretcher.' John wasn't standing still, and the next thing Rodney knew they were in an aisle labeled 'Chastity', where John started pulling off things that looked like they belted on and went around the cock and...

"John…what are you doing?"

"Shopping." John flashed him a grin as he added a few pairs of some sort of gloves to the almost-full basket. Rodney could see his lover's eyes had darkened a bit—this stuff was turning him on.

"But…chastity? I though the whole point was…well, you know…"

"Ah, but you spend all day in the labs. Some days you'll be wearing some of this stuff, just thinking about me, knowing you're mine and I plan to molest you repeatedly that night." John stepped close enough to plant a heated kiss on Rodney's lips. "Trust me, you'll like it."

"And if I don't?"

"Then we don't use it again. But I will expect you to give it a full day's try before you make the decision one way or another."

"A what!"

"These items aren't meant for an hour or two of play. They're designed to be worn all day—and you will try them. I'm getting a few different kinds since you may have a preference, but I will expect you to wear them each at least once, for as long as I put it on you for."

Rodney's eyes widened in surprise, but his cock had other ideas about it, twitching a little from the words and John's tone. "I…yes, sir."

John reached over to caress Rodney's rapidly hardening dick through his jeans. "Let's go unload the basket, and I want to make sure the belted-on stuff is the right size."

McKay moaned at John's touch, following behind him a moment later, walking carefully.

Back in the fitting room, John emptied the basket into a waiting bin, presumably for that purpose. He reached over to unbutton Rodney's pants, pushing them and his boxers down far enough that he could test the various belts against Rodney's skin, nodding when they all proved to be the right size.

"You're getting all of that?" Rodney asked as John smiled at him as he noticed his growing erection.

John leaned down and kissed the tip of Rodney's cock. "We aren't done yet. There's still a lot of bondage gear we need to get."

"There's more?" He paused, realizing how stupid the question was. "Well, of course there's more in the store. We've only been in a very small section…but you want other…stuff, too?"

"Oh, yes." John carefully pulled Rodney's pants back up, getting him situated again. Then he led him to a section of the store filled with restraints of all shapes and sizes. John threw in several gags, a few sets of cuffs for both feet and ankles—even a set designed for the thighs. He saw one box and tossed that in as well. "That's a basics kit we can leave at the apartment so we don't have to mutilate your ties when we visit."

"Not mutilating ties would be a good thing," Rodney nodded, wandering a few feet away to look at something that had caught his eye and ending up at the beginning of the whips and paddles section. Okay…there would be none of that.

When he turned back, he saw John disappearing around a corner into the next aisle. When Rodney caught up to him, he was looking at collars. A black leather one was already in the basket, and John was eyeing a variety of steel ones, finally deciding on a matching set of collar and cuffs, and a second steel collar that looked more like a necklace. "I actually have a place in mind for us to visit, but you'll need to be collared if we go. This one will look nice against your skin, and it's part of a set. The other…well, we've never tried collars, but if you like it, this one is discreet enough to pass for a necklace."

"I…I never thought much about them," Rodney said honestly, realizing that he was finally calming down a little, maybe even enjoying it. He looked at them carefully for a moment before glancing up at John. "You're going to need an awful lot of locks, aren't you?"

"They have them at the end of one of these aisles. We'll buy a few packs." John leaned in to kiss him lightly again before moving on to the next things in the aisle. "Hmmm, I think we'll get you a few hoods. You were really into complete sensory deprivation on the Jumper. This one will get you used to the sensation of wearing one, and this one," he held up a mask that would cut off everything except the ability to breathe, "is what we'll work up to. It'll be easier to use than a separate blindfold, gag, and ear plugs when we decide to go for the more extreme play."

Rodney's breath caught for a moment. "I'm claustrophobic…"

"I know. Which is why we'll try the other, which leaves your eyes and mouth free, first. If it sets off a reaction, we won't try the other. But I want to get one, so we have it if you decide you want to try."

He looked at it for a long moment before nodding. "Okay."

John added it to the cart, then took his hand, wandering and adding random things until a few aisles later. "Oh... bars. There's just no way to simulate those with anything else."

"Spreader bars? And they…" Rodney trailed off, already picturing the possibilities, the feeling of being so open with no option to close his legs…

"Mmmm. We need a suspension bar, which means we need a spreader bar so I can do your hands and feet. Oh, and an X-bar—we need one of those. And stocks—god fucking you in the position those would put you in will be amazing..."

Rodney tilted his head, glancing at John before moving forward, taking his face in his hands and planting a kiss on his lips.

John deepened it briefly, pushing his tongue into Rodney's mouth before letting him pull back. He smiled softly. "Getting into it?"

"Beginning to see the possibilities."

"Good. We're almost done. Just one more section to swing through, then we'll head back to the fitting room."

"There…ah…was something I saw…" Rodney felt his cheeks flush a little as he pointed over his shoulder back the way they'd come.

John grinned. "Lead on."

Rodney nodded, before turning on his heel, leading John through rack after rack of leather until he reached the section he'd spotted before. He stopped before the area labeled "Latex" and pointed to several items—cat suits and bodysuits with zippers and openings in the right places, some with matching hoods and gloves. "Um…these looked kind of interesting."

John's grin got bigger. "This was actually where I wanted to head next. Great minds McKay..." John kissed him again before picking out a few different styles. At the end of the section was various undergarments—he grabbed a latex pair that had a—was that a dildo?—attached to them, then held up a leather and chain thong. "I think I'd look good in this, don't you?"

Nodding, Rodney continued to browse, looking more than picking out things. John was doing more than enough for the two of them. John added several other things…a harness—or so he called it—some belt thing, some latex gloves and another hood, several packages of locks and heavy-duty batteries, and a few other things that Rodney couldn't immediately identify. "I think we might need more lube," Rodney finally said, coming to the oils and lotions and lube aisle.

"Probably, and I'd like something that doesn't taste like rubber." He added the entire collection of fruit-based lubes to their basket—after checking to ensure they were citrus-free—moving on to add massage oils and lotions of various kinds. With a grin he held up a set of chocolate body paint. "I'll let you use this on me."

"It just better taste the way it claims it does," Rodney snorted, but offered John a smile.

Laughing, John rounded out their selection with a few tubes of waterproof lube and a set of suction cuffs it was displayed with.

"Suction cups?"

"Shower sex just got more kinky."

Rodney felt his eyes widening and he lifted his head to offer John a smile. "I'm never leaving the suite, am I?"

Taking his hand as they walked back to the fitting room, John just laughed again. "Well, we do have twelve days here. I did warn you I would have you walking funny by the end of the vacation."

The woman who'd greeted them when they walked in was waiting for them near the dressing room. "Did you find everything you needed?"

John nodded. "I think so. There's a bunch already in there, and we need to add this stuff. Give us a few minutes to make sure everything will fit right, and we'll be ready to go."

"If you want me to take a look at everything when you're done, I may be able to suggest a few accessory items. Sometimes the displays aren't set up ideally and people miss things."

"That would be great, thanks. Oh, and what's your policy on wearing things out of the store?"

"Just let me know what you want to wear out and we'll just add it to the total. Trust me, as long as you pay for it, we'll let you do just about anything you want. I've had some people walk out of here in full gear. There should be a selection of single-use tubes of lube in the dressing room along with towels. Also, some powder if you need to try on the latex items. I'll just ask that there's no sex in the dressing room."

"I can do that. Thanks again." Smiling happily, John pulled Rodney back into the fitting room. He once more got Rodney's pants open and pushed then down, pulling off the shirt and shoes, too, leaving Rodney naked in the middle of the room. He proceeded to try all the cuffs and equipment, checking the fit of everything. "We'll wait until we get back to the hotel to try the latex, even with powder it's a bitch to get on and off."

It was odd to just stand there and let John try everything on him. That and the whole naked in the middle of a store thing. "Okay."

John went over to dig through the stuff from the first batch of things. In addition to a variety of plug types, he had gotten them all in different sizes too. He finally pulled out the smallest version of one of the metal one, which had a bulb at the end and curved slightly. He picked up a tube of the lube the sales girl had told them about. "Since this is your first time with a plug, we'll start small. You'll know its there, but it's not big enough to get you off. This particular style is pretty comfortable, so you should be good to keep it in the rest of the day."

"You're going to just put that on…in…me? Here?"

John slicked up the plug, then drew it down Rodney's crack, pushing it against his entrance, but not inside yet. "Yes. You're going to wear it out of here, and keep it in until I decide you're ready for something bigger."

"There is the whole…going to the bathroom thing," Rodney reminded him, his hands finding a place to settle on John's hips.

"The plug won't interfere with pissing, and you won't wear it to bed tonight." John pushed, and Rodney felt the cold metal slide in, where it immediately got almost hot as it absorbed his body heat. His body had stretched briefly for it, then closed around the object, securing it just inside him.

Rodney moaned at the sensation, clutching onto John.

John tipped Rodney's head so he could kiss him again, deeply. "When you start moving, it will feel even better."

Groaning, Rodney ducked his head down, resting it against John's shoulder as his hands slid around to pull his lover close. It was so strange to have John holding him like this and yet feel…full—at least partially. Nothing would be the same as John's cock, but if he couldn't have John buried in him all the time, this might be a good alternative.

"The bigger plugs will go deeper and stretch you more, but to start with, this will be fine. I think I want you to wear a collar out, too, the discreet one. You look a bit sex dazed, which is insanely hot, and I want to make sure everyone knows you're taken."

"The ring is a dead give-away," he finally managed to say into John's shirt.

"The collar will be more obvious. You're mine and I don't want any doubts about it." John reached over to snag the collar in question, which he had left sitting close on the bench. He leaned Rodney back in order to slip it around his neck, pulling away long enough to grab a tiny lock to snap in place, pocketing the key.

It was strange, standing here like this in front of John. He glanced over to the full-length mirror, taking in the sight of himself—naked, cheeks flushed, erect, and sporting a necklace—collar—with a padlock locking it onto him.

It was tangible—just like the plug up his ass.

Taking a deep breath, Rodney turned back to John who was looking at him expectantly. Nodding once, he grabbed Sheppard's hands in his before stepping forward, pressing a kiss to his lover's lips.

He felt John smiling into the kiss licking his way inside for a moment before slowly drawing back. "She said no sex in the fitting room, so we'll have to finish this in a bit." John knelt, pulling Rodney's boxers and pants back on—wigging the plug a little with his finger as he did. Rodney's shirt was next; John's agile fingers buttoning it up. The last to get re-adjusted was Rodney's shoes. John stood back and swept his eyes up and down Rodney's body. "Yup, hot as hell."

Rodney blushed, ducking his head, as John opened the dressing room door.

The sales girl appeared a moment later, and John pointed to all the stuff. "We're taking all of it. Add a small Swarovski plug, the collar, and a lock to the bill as well."

Alisha nodded, her eyes flickering over Rodney for a moment before returning to John. "If you give me a moment, I may be able to make a few additional recommendations."

"Perfect." John helped her sort through everything, putting it back in the baskets to carry to the register.

She made several suggestions—polishes, a few other restraints, a leash—all of which John agreed with and she sent another woman to get them from the floor while she began to ring up the order. But apart from the initial look, she hadn't looked his way. It was as if he didn’t even exist.

John reached out to grab his hand, pulling him close. "How you doing?"

"Honestly?"

"Of course."

"Little overwhelmed. Little disconcerted."

John squeezed his hand. "We'll head back to the hotel from here, have room service bring up lunch. How does that sound?"

"Sure. I should probably eat something."

"I know. It's been a while since breakfast. You can take some time to look through all this stuff and get a bit more comfortable with it, too."

"Sir," Alisha interrupted politely. "I'll just need a form of payment."

John dug out his wallet, handing over the credit card.

"I'm going to…" Rodney pointed toward the entrance.

John squeezed his hand again and then dug out the car keys, handing them over. "I'll be out in a minute."

Rodney nodded, heading to the entrance, stopping to look at a few items on the way out, feeling several people staring at him as he moved slowly through the store. It was almost as if he could forget he was wearing a plug, but the weight reminded him—that and the feeling of actually having something in his ass. But every time he glanced up, the eyes slid away.

Stepping outside, he walked toward the car, not quite ready to sit inside in this heat, feeling restless and unsettled.

John wasn't long, wandering out loaded down with bags. Rodney used the keys to pop the trunk, where they stowed everything. When it was closed, John maneuvered them so Rodney was leaning against the car with John standing in front, hands resting on Rodney's hips. "That was a productive trip. Still doing okay with the plug? That one is designed for longer-term wear, but I know you're not used to having one in."

"Yeah, it's okay. Strange, but okay."

John kissed him lightly. "Ready to head back?"

"As long as I can get a little something to eat, we can do whatever you want."

"We'll order at the hotel. That'll be the easiest." Taking the keys back, John gave him a last kiss before they went to their own sides of the car.

Rodney eased into the car, feeling the plug shift as he settled in. He was buckled in a few minutes later and John was pulling out, the silence between them comfortable.

"I do have a question, though," he finally said, his unsettled feeling not going away.

"Sure." John glanced over curiously.

"Is that…treatment normal?"

"Treatment?"

"I was there, but I wasn't. No one acknowledged me, talked to me. People kept looking, but no one would actually own up to it. Is that normal?"

"They..." John looked a bit surprised, then thoughtful. "It must be the collar. In heavy BDSM circles, no one is supposed to acknowledge the submissive without permission. I choose that one since it doesn't look like a collar, so unless someone is really observant, they wouldn't know the difference. But everyone in that type of store knows what it is. I'm sorry. I didn't even think about it getting that reaction, since it's not a heavy bondage piece."

"So that's normal? All of a sudden I'm less than human or something?"

John shook his head. "Not to me, and if you get that reaction anywhere but a sex store, let me know. It shouldn't happen anywhere else, with the exception of an actual BDSM club, which I'd like to visit, but we can talk about that later. It's more a control thing. A lot of dominants treat their partners like slaves, and why the submissive half of the pair stands for it, I have no idea. I neither want nor approve of that kind of extreme treatment."

"If that's how I'm going to be treated there's no way in hell I'm going to a club," Rodney said, looking out the window.

"That's only one extreme. I'm middle of the road, going for a lot of the heavy bondage and kinky stuff, but I don't want to submerge your personality. I want to make you feel good. At the other extreme end are the people who dabble and do it more for show than anything else. I'd like to take you because I think you'd enjoy being able to let go in public and that's really the only venue you can do it in. I'd like you to see those extremes, so you understand a little better where I'm coming from, especially since you've never done anything like this before."

"No, John."

"I want you to think about it, and don't dismiss it out of hand. We'll talk about it again. There's a private club I've visited before, called The House, which only meets a few times a month. One of those times is the last night we're here."

"The answer is no. I have no intention of subjecting myself to…that."

"Do you trust me?"

Rodney sighed. He answered after a long moment. "Yes."

"And you know I would never treat you that way, like a sub-human?"

"Yes, I know that, but—"

"No buts. When it comes down to it, even in a club, the only people who matter are you and I and how we are together. I think it's an experience you might not completely enjoy, not if you don't let yourself sink into the role a bit, which you've never done outside the bedroom. But I think its something you need to see, so you know the difference between what we do and what the stereotypes are."

Rodney was quiet for a moment, watching the scenery fly past. "John, you told me that we wouldn't do anything I wasn't comfortable with. Has that changed?"

"No. But there's a difference between something being a bit outside your comfort zone, and something that hurts you or really makes you extremely uncomfortable. You have eleven days to think about it, though. I won't force this on you, but I do want to do it. Don't make the decision now."

"I’m not going to change my mind."

"You're too smart to make a snap decision based on the reactions of people who are behaving on one end of the extreme spectrum. Not to say there won't be some of that in the club, but it's usually pretty clear pretty fast who falls into what categories, and people will treat you accordingly."

"John, don't push this now."

John let it drop, although he did take Rodney's hand again, squeezing it briefly. "What do you want to order for lunch? When I glanced at the menu, there was pretty much one of everything."

"Something with protein would be good and as much as you're going to love to hear this, I have to take a shit when we get back."

John laughed, and shook his head. "Seriously? Don't ever change. I'll order us hamburgers while you take care of things."

"No bowing and scraping? I'm impressed," Rodney snorted as they pulled into the front of the hotel, parking it right in front—the eyes of everyone in the area on them and the car. Shoving open the door before the valet could get to it, Rodney was on his feet and headed inside even before John had climbed out of the car.

Since Rodney hadn't grabbed a key to the room, he had to wait outside the door for John to show up a few minutes later, pushing a cart with all their bags. "Hi, there."

"Can you just open the door already?"

John came around the cart, but instead of pulling out his key, he moved fast, pushing Rodney against the wall and kissing him, tongue running along the seam of his mouth, requesting entrance.

Instead of acquiescing, Rodney tried to shove John off, but the other man wasn't having any of that.

John's hands found his wrists, pushing them up and over Rodney's head against the wall, and one leg worked itself between his, rubbing against Rodney's cock.

Instinctively, Rodney opened his mouth to complain, and John took full advantage of the situation, kissing him until Rodney moaned into his mouth, still shoving at John, but without the urgency he'd had a few minutes ago.

John deepened the kiss and began to move his leg slightly, rubbing against Rodney at just the right angle and with just the right amount of friction.

Rodney shuddered against his lover, his moans turning to whimpers, his body overly sensitized from all of his clothes and the plug.

John slowly backed off, giving Rodney the chance to breathe as he kissed his way down the jaw line and along Rodney's neck.

Panting, Rodney closed his eyes, feeling as John licked the skin around the collar.

John shifted his hands, leaving one still pinning Rodney's hands to the wall, the other disappearing. After a second, John moved his body away slightly, and Rodney heard the click of the door lock being triggered. "Inside. Now."

Sheppard tugged him forward when he didn't move fast enough, pushing Rodney through the door.

John pushed him back against the wall just inside the room, growling at him not to move. He disappeared briefly, dragging the cart of all their items inside and letting the door close before he was back on Rodney again, once more pinning his hands to the wall, leg worming its way in to give Rodney some friction.

Rodney whimpered and moaned, trying to squirm, to get himself free, but John held him tight. He hadn't really seen this side of his lover before, just how dominant Sheppard could be, and god…McKay had never been so turned on in his life. "God…John…" he managed to pant as Sheppard breathed in his ear before his mouth dropped back down to the collar around Rodney's neck.

John just pushed a little harder, using his body weight and leverage to pin Rodney more firmly, make it that much harder to move. His tongue licked all along the collar, diving under it, sucking on the metal beads and Rodney's skin indiscriminately.

Shuddering under the assault, Rodney finally relaxed against the wall, letting John hold him up, closing his eyes once again, just feeling. And as John shifted against him, the clothes rubbed uncomfortably and Rodney had the overwhelming desire to get out of them because he wanted to feel John against his skin.

John captured his mouth again, claiming now, taking what he wanted. When he pulled back, his voice was rough, demanding. "When I let you go, I want you to strip out of your clothes and go lie on the bed, on your back. Don't touch the plug, and put your hands above your head while you wait for me."

Not trusting his voice, Rodney opened his eyes and nodded, his body trembling with need, desire, want, and anticipation. He held John's gaze for a long moment, taking in the dark, dilated eyes of his lover.

John nodded once, then stepped back, releasing his grip.

Rodney took a moment to right himself, panting, trying to get some semblance of control. Pushing off from the wall, he moved to the bedroom, unbuttoning his shirt as he walked—somewhat unsteadily—trying to concentrate enough not to trip over his own feet. The shirt ended up on the first chair he saw once he walked into the bedroom, his shoes shoved underneath along with his socks. His jeans and boxers ended up on top of the pile.

Trembling with anticipation, Rodney hopped up onto the bed. It was a lot taller than the bed at home and a whole lot bigger. Settling into the middle, he laid back crossing his ankles and placing his hands carefully over his head, clasped together.

And he waited. John had managed to make him cultivate patience—at least to a certain degree.

John came in a few minutes later, still dressed, although he had kicked off his shoes. He was carrying one of the bags from the store. Dark eyes on Rodney, he carefully pulled out a set of cuffs—wrist and ankle, as well as one of the cock rings they had thrown in and one of the dildos. He set them all on the bed, lined up where Rodney could see them.

Turning his head, he met John's eyes again. "I'm sorry about before."

John hopped up on the bed, reaching out to trail a hand along Rodney's face and down his chest. "You have nothing to apologize for. This is all new to you, and I know that. It's okay. When I put these cuffs on you, however, they aren't coming back off until I decide to remove them. They will be locked on, and I will have the only key. I want to be able to tie you to any available surface as the mood takes me." John picked up one of the leather wrist pieces, lined inside with some sort of soft material. He dragged it up Rodney's leg, over his cock, and along his chest before moving up an arm to the wrist it would be attached to.

"It's just…" Rodney said as John wrapped his wrist in the leather, tightening it down so it was snug. He slid a finger under it to make sure there was room. "…when we're like this, nothing else matters. I…trust you, but to see that…I don't know if I can do the out in public stuff." A quiet click told Rodney the first cuff was locked onto his wrist.

"Why does it bother you? I'm not trying to antagonize, I want to figure out what the biggest issues you have with it are, so we can deal with it." John picked up the other wrist brace and followed the same path on the other side, drawing it up Rodney's body before locking it into place.

"I just…I don't understand how everything works. I know that there's a lot about this whole…thing…scene…whatever I have no clue about. But, to me, I just don't understand how people can willing be treated like second-class citizens. Do they have no self-respect? Do they have nothing else without it? I'm just…I'm not like that. I can't be like that."

"And I agree. I don't want to treat you that way, and I don't want anyone else treating you that way. To be honest, I don't understand why people voluntarily allow themselves to be put in that position either. The only explanation I can give you is that they need it to find their headspace, need that extreme treatment, and for them, the humiliation is part of the means to that end." John picked up an ankle cuff, and this time started at Rodney's hands, dragging them down his body instead of up.

"I guess I just realized it for the first time when we were in the store that there was a much…bigger world out there that I had no idea even existed. And I didn't like part of it." The leather encircled Rodney's ankle and the click indicated that the lock was set, securing it to him. "This…this is the part that I want, what we have, and I don't want it ruined by the other stuff."

"It doesn't change this, what we have. It only puts it in context. How I feel about you, how I treat you, will never change. I have to admit—aside from wanting you to see all aspects of the BDSM world so you can understand it—I also want to show you off. You're smart, sexy, hot, responsive... I want people to see you and know that I'm the one who's lucky enough to be the one you choose." John picked up the last ankle cuff, using it to caress Rodney with leather a final time before locking it into place.

Rodney scowled. "Show me off? I'm not an award or some kind of trophy wife or something, Sheppard."

"I know that. You're my partner, and I'm proud of you, proud to be with you, to be seen with you. Most of the time I can't tell the world you're mine, but that's one place where I can."

"But do you have to? What does it matter? We know. That's the important part."

"Yes, but why does it bother you so much that I want to be together in public as well as in private sometimes? And aside from some of the extreme cases, I actually do think you would enjoy that kind of atmosphere. It's not something for all the time, or even often, but it is a place to let go for a little while, to experience submission and letting go of control in something other than sex." John had moved to the straps, once again starting with Rodney's hands, first locking them together, then securing them to the headboard.

Rodney felt his breath catch in his throat for a minute as he tugged at the bindings, for the first time really understanding that there was no way for him to free himself. Before there was a knot he could untie, something he could get out of. Now…now was different. He felt his body tremble a little before he relaxed against the mattress. "I'm…" he finally began when John's warm hand rested on his chest. "…I'm so used to hiding everything. It's a lot to take in."

John kept his hand on Rodney's chest, moving it small, soothing circles. "It's okay. We'll take it slow. It's not like we have a deadline to meet or someplace we need to be. I ordered food that should be here in a minute, but otherwise, it's just you and me for the rest of the afternoon."

"I like that thought," Rodney said with a small smile. "It's the…public stuff that will take a lot to get used to and honestly, I'm not sure it will ever happen."

"And that's fine. I'm not asking you to love it, just to try it once with me. If it really makes you unhappy, we never do it again. But I'd like to take you once, for the experience if nothing else. But for now, don't worry about it. It's not something we need to decide today." They heard a knock at the door, and John glanced up. "And that would be lunch. I'll be right back."

"John…you're just going to let someone in?"

"No. I'm going to meet them at the door and bring the food in myself. Trust me. No one else gets to see you like this except me."

"Okay," Rodney nodded, his eyes still wide as he watched John leave the room, pulling the door so it was partially closed. McKay could hear John talking with room service and a few moments later, John was pushing a cart into the bedroom.

"I went with smaller stuff and finger foods, since I don't plan to let you up to eat." John grabbed all the pillows, getting Rodney to scoot back, bending his arms at the elbows and positioning them behind his head so Rodney was in reclining on a pile of pillows in a position that was, surprisingly, comfortable.

John sat on the edge of the bed, positioning the cart so he could reach everything. He picked a grape out of a fruit platter, pushing it against Rodney's lips.

Chewing the grape, Rodney watched John—the way he moved, the way he looked at him, the way his eyes dilated as his gaze drifted over the cuffs and his body. No one had ever wanted him the way John did—so desperately.

His lover picked out a strawberry next, but instead of bringing it right to Rodney's lips, he swirled it around his belly button, then drew it up his chest, circling each nipple before finally feeding it to Rodney. While he was chewing, John leaned over and licked the same path, cleaning away the juice before it got sticky.

Swallowing, Rodney leaned forward, managing to catch John's lips in a kiss before he moved away once again, his hands heading for the tray.

In addition to the fruit, John had ordered a cheese and meat plate. He alternated feeding Rodney the small squares of cheese and rolls of meat with the rest of the fruit, sometimes giving it to him directly, and other times teasing with it first.

Their conversation was minimal. The hush of the air conditioning blanketed them and Rodney found himself relaxing—finally.

When the food was gone, John helped Rodney scoot back down onto his back, shortening the straps that held his arms so other than tugging a bit, Rodney couldn't move them. He spread Rodney's legs, pushing his feet flat on the bed and placing a few pillows under his hips, giving John complete access. That done, Sheppard used several ties on the ankle cuffs—one to the connection point on the side of the bed, the other at the top corner. The way they were arranged, Rodney had very little room to move once John was done, leaving him spread open.

That done, John trailed his fingers along Rodney's body, moving them lower until he reached the plug Rodney had almost forgotten about. John pulled it a little in and out to check how much lube was left, and feeling it slide easily, started to slowly twirl it.

Rodney moaned, using what little leverage John had given him to move his hips trying to get more contact.

"Ah, no coming prematurely." John kissed the tip of Rodney's already-leaking cock, then slipped a ring on, ensuring he wouldn't come until John was ready for him to.

"Oh, come on," Rodney complained, squirming as John continued to play with the plug, twisting it and moving it in and out.

John chuckled. "We've barely gotten started."

"Maybe you have," he sniffed, scowling at John. "I have a head-start on you."

"Ah, but we've long established that I get off on driving you insane with need. And you're no where near that point yet."

Rodney shuddered as John pulled the metal plug free, feeling empty, the lube cool against his skin in the air of the hotel suite.

"I think you're ready for something a bit bigger than this, don't you think?" John used his finger to feel how much the plug had stretched Rodney open.

"I…" Rodney panted as John's finger moved inside him. "…not sure. Wasn't all that big I don’t think."

"You're still pretty tight. We should do something about that." John leaned over the bed, grabbing a bag he must have thrown on the bottom of the cart when he got the food. He dug around for a second, coming out with all the various plugs, beads, and dildos they had bought. "Anything in particular you're excited to try?"

Rodney felt his eyes widening, not remembering seeing all the things John had spilled out on the bed next to him. "You bought…all that?"

John crawled close enough to kiss him. "Yes. And we'll try it all eventually. But given you're relative inexperience with toys, I thought I would see if there was anything that caught your eye to use first. If not, I'll just play."

"I…" His eyes dropped down to the pile and he shook his head. "I…have no idea where to start. I wouldn't even begin to know…"

John kissed him again, deeper this time, not pulling back until Rodney was panting for breath. "We'll start slow." John grabbed the lube the hotel had provided and slicked his fingers up, pushing two into Rodney slowly, while the other hand began to fondle a nipple. "Let's get you a bit stretched first."

Nodding, Rodney's head fell back against the mound of pillows as John worked him carefully, efficiently, managing to completely avoid his prostate. He tried to squirm, but John's other hand on his stomach held him more or less in place. He moaned when John finally pulled out, his fingers replaced by something else entirely.

"I think for now we'll use a dildo. You enjoy bottoming, so you'll like it, and we can play with some of the other stuff, like the beads, later." John pushed the object in slowly, the silicone feeling slick inside him, gliding in easily with the lube. The material wasn't as giving as John's cock, nor was it as warm, but it still left Rodney feeling full.

"Oh…" Rodney moaned, feeling the dildo as it slid in bit by bit, until finally he could feel the base of it against his ass.

John moved it in and out a few times, letting Rodney get used to the feeling, before pushing it in as far as it would go and leaving it there. "Oh, did I mention this one vibrates?" He flicked something on the end of the dildo, which immediately began to send tremors all through Rodney's body.

"Oh, god…" Rodney moaned, arching off the bed, but unable to get away from the sensation. When he finally came back to himself, he was panting and muttering, John's hands making soothing circles on his stomach, the vibration still there, but at a much lower level.

John had stretched out along his side, still dressed, so Rodney could feel the material rubbing against his skin. "Hey, there."

"Oh…god," Rodney moaned turning his head to the side, his cock hard and aching.

"You look so incredibly wanton and open right now." John caught his mouth, kissing him hard and dirty.

Rodney whimpered at the added sensation, battling tongues with John before surrendering, wanting to feel more of him, touch him, but unable to move, to budge.

Pulling back, John gave him a wicked grin. He reached down to increase the vibrations slightly, then started using his mouth on Rodney's body, starting up at his fingers and kissing, licking, and nipping his way down, stopping to lap at the sensitive nipples and lap up the pre-come leaking freely now before moving on to Rodney's legs and feet.

By the time John reached the sole of his feet, Rodney swore he was going to explode, reduced to moans, pants, and gasps as John found sensitive spots, working at them with his tongue before moving on to find another.

So lost in his own pleasure, Rodney didn't immediately register when John moved away, only realizing he had undressed and at some point had slicked himself up when he was suddenly straddling Rodney, sinking down onto him. When he was fully seated, he reached back and took hold of the dildo, moving it in and out, fucking Rodney with it while he clenched around him.

With John's additional weight holding him in place, Rodney had nowhere to go. Moaning and whimpering at the feeling of being fucked and fucking at the same time…it was almost too much.

John rose up slightly, enough to give him access to the cock ring. "When I pull this off, I want you to come."

A sob escaped Rodney's throat, but he nodded, understanding John's instructions.

It took John a few tries, but he finally found a rhythm, fucking himself on Rodney while he fucked Rodney with the dildo. McKay knew when John had found his own sweet spot when a moan escaped John's lips, and the movements faltered slightly before picking back up. The ring was suddenly pulled free.

Rodney felt his balls draw up and he was coming—hard—pulsing over and over again into John, a strangled moaning yell escaping from his mouth. As John's come splattered over his chest, Rodney continued to shudder as the aftershocks rolled through him, the dildo still vibrating deep inside of him.

Slumping against the bed, Rodney was vaguely aware of John pulling off, too sated to care or to pay any attention.

The vibrations stopped suddenly, and the dildo was pulled out, sparking a few more aftershocks as it rubbed against sensitized skin.

He felt his head roll to the side, his entire body limp and relaxed.

He felt the straps holding his legs up loosened, and John's hands pulling them down and arranging him more comfortably. Then there was heat pressed all along his side as John curled into him.

Closing his eyes, Rodney slumped further into the mattress and pillows, just letting himself feel. If John did this to him every time, Rodney wasn't sure how long he'd last—but he'd enjoy every minute of it. Between one moment and the next he slid into darkness, a light smile on his lips.

***


	2. Chapter 2

When Rodney’s breathing evened out, John pushed himself up enough to watch his lover.

All in all, it had been an interesting day so far.

He hadn’t exactly meant to tell Rodney about the last time he had come to Vegas, but he hadn’t planned to hide it either. He knew Rodney believed he had some sort of suicide complex, and he wasn’t sure how to convince him otherwise. All he could do was keep trying to explain he guessed.

John’s lips curved as he thought about the store, and seeing Rodney’s face, especially near the end when he had actually blushed and stammered when he showed John the latex stuff. Reaching out to run a light caress along Rodney’s cheek, John felt his whole body thrum. God, he loved this man, and it was damn scary how much sometimes.

He hoped he could convince Rodney to go to the club. Roger—he really needed to remember to send the guy something nice—had emailed him an invite to The House before they had left. It was a nice place, exclusive, and they were good about taking cues from the dominant halves of pairs in how to treat the submissive halves. But at the same time, Rodney would be able to see all the ends of the BDSM spectrum—and he really believed his lover needed that.

John knew Rodney was new to all this, and had to fight his own instincts at times, even still, so as not to frighten the other man. He hoped seeing all the shades of dom/sub relationships would help his lover’s very quick mind understand the differences between how John acted and what the ‘slave submissives’ were required to do. It was a profoundly different way of approaching the same play, and it was just bad luck that there had been a few of that set in the store and that had been Rodney’s first introduction to the larger society.

Plus, he really, really wanted to show his very sexy boyfriend off. Rodney would look fucking amazing in the leather pants and black top, set off with the matching steel collar and cuff set. There wouldn’t be a person in the club who wouldn’t be ogling him, and John rather thought it would be good for Rodney’s self-image, which was a bit poor at times.

Stretching a bit, John rolled off the bed and gathered up the toys they had used, quickly washing them and himself in the bathroom, then returning to clean Rodney up. That done, he gathered up the rest of the toys, and moved everything off the bed and onto the chair in the corner. The lunch cart was brought back out into the main room, and, chores now done, John was free to climb back in bed and lose himself for a while in staring at Rodney as he slept.

His lover sighed in his sleep, shifting slightly, his breathing changing and John knew Rodney was slowly waking once again.

John carefully put his hand on Rodney's chest, not wanting to wake him faster, but loving the way the wiry hairs felt under his palm and the heat that seeped into his fingers—Rodney was like a furnace most of the time, and John was fast becoming addicted to having that in his bed.

McKay's fingers flexed and he tugged a little at the bindings on his hands and John could see the emotions pass over his lover's face: confusion, realization, acceptance until it finally showed contentment and pleasure. Eyes slowly opened a moment later, blinking several times before the blue focused on John, lazy and sated.

"Hi. Have a nice nap?"

The corner of Rodney's mouth rose as he nodded. "Um…yeah."

John didn't bother to try and resist kissing the curve of that crooked mouth. "Good. Well rested means more sex later."

"As long as you don't kill me, sure," McKay said quietly, humming a little.

"Believe me, I have no plans for any type of permanent injuries. I was thinking more along the lines of multiple orgasms."

"I won't argue with that." Rodney shifted again. "So…would it be too much to ask a question?"

John started playing with Rodney's chest hair, dragging his fingers through it, drawing random patterns. It was thinner, and less bristly than his own, and he loved it. "Of course."

"Would a bathroom break be allowed?"

John grinned, remembering Rodney's earlier needs that had been neatly set aside in favor of seducing him out of his funk. "Of course." He sat up, unhooking the straps and unlocking the cuffs from where they were hooked together, but leaving all the cuffs in place on Rodney's wrists and ankles.

"Right…these stay," Rodney said sitting up slowly, his eyes on his wrists.

"Yes." John pulled one of Rodney's wrists close enough to kiss the band, darting his tongue underneath it briefly to taste the mixed leather and sweat.

"I'll…ah…be back in a few minutes," Rodney finally said, gesturing with his free hand toward the bathroom.

Nodding, John stretched out on the bed and watched Rodney go. He ran through a few basic moves to work out some kinks in his back and shoulders, then relaxed into the mattress, falling into a relaxed, half-doze.

He woke with a start a few moments later, finding Rodney standing on the side of the bed, staring down at John, an unguarded look on his face.

It was tender and soft—two things Rodney rarely let anyone else see. "Hi again."

"Hi," Rodney said, a light smile on his lips. "You…ah…want me anywhere in particular?"

"C'mere and lay with me." As soon as Rodney was back on the bed, John wrapped himself around that wonderful body. "Have you always put out this much heat, or is it just for me?"

"Always," Rodney replied, his arms wrapping around John. "Embarrassing usually. Always the first one to sweat, get overheated…"

John pushed his face into the curve of Rodney's neck savoring the way the skin in that section was always a little warmer than the rest of him. "I love it. I love falling asleep with you all warm beside me, feels like you're seeping into me."

"That's now. Wait until summer."

"We're in Nevada and it's eighty outside. And I still can't get close enough." John nibbled the warm spot. "Did you know you taste different the warmer you get? Right here, you're always a few degrees hotter, and you're—sweeter there. But even on the rest of your body, as you get warmer your taste changes."

Rodney squirmed a little. "No. I've never had the chance to taste myself. That's one contortionist position I will never be able to get into."

"That's okay. More for me."

Rodney sighed again, relaxing against John. "So, what else did you have in mind? Obviously you are planning something since I'm still cuffed and naked."

"You're always naked when we're alone. And now that we have good cuffs, you'll probably have them on more often than not, too. I like knowing you're open and available for any erotic fantasy that flits across my admittedly dirty mind."

"I'd have to agree on the dirty mind thing," Rodney said after a moment, "but I think that also has to apply to me because I find myself not complaining about it."

John grinned, looking up to catch amused blue eyes. "Good to know. I was thinking we could try suspension later. There's a hook for the bar in the corner of the bedroom, and we bought all the stuff for it. Other than that one cramped time in the Jumper, we haven't played that way much."

"I didn't realize," Rodney said, moving to see if he could spot it. "So is that your plan for the first night in Vegas? Sex, sex, and more sex?"

"Pretty much." John leered at him. "Tomorrow night is the Zumanity—the adult Cirque show."

Rodney's eyes were amused. "You do have a one-track mind. You know that, right?"

"I'm an addict, what can I say. If I don't get a certain amount of 'Ass de McKay' I start to get pissy."

The scientist chuckled, shaking his head. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Mmmm. If you're not interested though, I could always go put on a movie. Wouldn't want to break you or strain your dick or anything." John fought hard to keep a straight face, shoulders shaking with the effort of holding in the laugh.

"As if," Rodney replied, rolling his eyes. "But since we have the time, the suite, and lots of toys, you might want to take advantage of the situation."

John sat up a bit more and rolled so he was on top of Rodney, their bodies pressed together from chest to groin, legs tangled. He reached up to run his fingers through Rodney's hair, smiling at the way it stood up. "I have to decide what I want to try on you next."

"Big decision. Life altering."

"We could go with the beads—which will have you screaming when you come. Or maybe just one of the bigger plugs. The prostate massager is always good for at least a few orgasms in a row. Or I could just get the massage oil and work on your back."

Rodney actually tilted his head to the side, his eyes unfocusing for a moment, seemingly considering the choices. "How about a little of everything?"

John did laugh this time, pressing a kiss on Rodney's lips. "We will, in time. If I did it all to you at once, One: your ass would be really sore from stretching to fit all that stuff, and Two: then we wouldn't have the fun of discovering which items work better than others. Scientific discovery you understand. One variable at a time."

"So let's narrow it down some. One, I really love your back-rubs. I'll never turn one of those down. Two," he said, his fingers counting them off behind John's back. "You already know I like plugs so let's try a new one. Three, we both like it when I'm tied to a bed. I’m sure you can come up with something."

Still laughing, John stole another kiss. "I think you're just looking for a reason to be tied to the bed again. It's pretty hot how loose and relaxed you get when the straps go on."

"It's like my brain finally knows it's okay to switch off for a while," Rodney said after a minute, his voice quiet.

John trailed one hand down to cup Rodney's face, drawing his thumb across the stubble and getting more than a little turned on at the roughness of it contrasting with the softness in Rodney's eyes. "Then we're doing something right."

John licked his way into Rodney's mouth for a while and then pulled away, sitting up. "Roll over on your stomach while I get what we need."

"Have a plan, do you?" Rodney asked, doing as John had requested, pillowing his head on his arms, watching as Sheppard moved around the room.

"Don't I always?" Grabbing the massage oil, the largest of the stainless steel plugs and the spreader bar, John returned to the bed. He set everything on the end, out of Rodney's direct line of sight for now. Moving to the head of the bed, he reattached his lover to the headboard, this time with arms spread wide to the corners.

Raising an eyebrow, Rodney glanced back a bit, looking at him. "Enjoying yourself?"

"Always." Moving back down to the foot of the bed, John used the bar on Rodney's ankles, the used a strap to secure it to the footboard, leaving his lover spread wide for him.

Rodney tugged at his arms and legs a moment later, humming when he found himself secured.

Uncapping the bottle of oil, John used it to coat the plug. Rodney was still loose from earlier, so it slid right in, slipping into place. It decorated Rodney's ass nicely.

"Oh….that's cold…" Rodney said, moaning in appreciation.

"Someday I'll put it in the freezer first. That'll be cold." Straddling Rodney's legs, John poured a bit more oil into his hands and began to work on his lover's tight back. Since he had started making an effort to do this at least once a day, even if only in the shower, he had noticed the muscles in general were a lot less twisted and tight. Rodney never mentioned it, but John wondered if it was helping with some of the persistent back pain he knew the man had suffered from most of his life.

"Mmmm," Rodney moaned, letting out a long breath.

John made sure he brushed against the plug every time he got near Rodney's lower back, wiggling it, pulling it in and out a bit, sometimes just touching it to see if Rodney would respond.

And respond he did, every time. Sometimes it was just an in-drawn breath. Other times it was a long, deep moan or a quick squirm.

John knew the position Rodney was in, along with the super softness of the sheets would give his lover absolutely no friction. However... "Just so we're clear, you don't come from this. If you start to get close, tell me and I'll put the ring back on."

The reply was immediate and muffled. "'kay."

Nodding to himself, John got lost for a while in the feel of Rodney under him, the slick glide of his hands against skin, the sweet smell of the oil, the occasional moans and happy sounds coming from his lover.

When John managed to get a particularly stubborn knot out of Rodney's back, Sheppard could almost see the man sag into the mattress in relief. "Oh…yeah…"

"You know, I keep saying I need to start you on a training schedule. Strengthening your abs, even a little bit, will help with your back."

"You said that months ago."

"I know. You keep distracting me."

"Me?" Normally that comment and tone would have been accompanied with a set of wide-open eyes.

"Yes, you. When I should have you do some sit ups, maybe go jogging with me, you get that sleepy, fuck-me look and all my plans are shot to hell."

"Good, then my plan is working," Rodney said, a smile on his face, one eye watching John.

"Tomorrow you are going jogging with me in the morning."

"Why? I'm not running if I don't have to."

"It's good for you, and it feels good. And as a reward, I'll blow you afterwards."

An eyebrow rose, his eye narrowing. "I think my answer is still no."

"All right, if you don't want to come at all tomorrow..." John grinned to himself. He wanted to try out some of those chastity items anyway.

"If there's no one running after me trying to kill me, I don't see the need. And besides, who knows if I’m actually going back."

"Running is for more than just saving your life you know. It's therapeutic, and good for you. So, I'll get you up and well ask the concierge where the best place is to get a mile or so in, then we'll come back here and I'll fuck your brains out, then we shower and go do some sight-seeing. We should hit all the hotels on the strip at least once, just to check out the decor."

Rodney groaned. "I thought we were on vacation."

"We are. It'll be fun, you'll see. And we can gamble. Between my math skills and knack for counting cards, and your overall ability to see patterns and shit, we could make a small fortune gambling."

"I lose small fortunes gambling."

"Really? I mean, you don't have a poker face, but there are other games."

Rodney sighed heavily. There had to be some kind of story attached to that sound. "Small fortunes."

John chuckled as he found another stubborn knot. Warming a bit more oil in his hands, he went to work on it. "I don't gamble often, but the few times I have I got kicked out of the casino after an hour or two. They said I was cheating."

"So…let's avoid jogging and gambling. I want to enjoy this vacation." Rodney groaned as John worked at the knot in his back.

"Gambling I can do without, but I still want to go see the casinos. Some of them are amazing inside. Jogging you're not getting out of this time."

"I have nothing to wear and I have no intention of jogging."

"You can borrow a pair of my sweats, and yes you are."

Rodney actually managed to turn slightly, so he was looking up at John. "Why are you going to insist on torturing me for no good reason?"

"Because I want you to stay in shape, I miss jogging and I'd like to be near you while I do it, and it really will help with your back in the long run. That means your back will hurt less, and you'll be happier."

Laying back down flat, Rodney sighed. "I'm happy with you. I don't need to jog to find fulfillment."

Sighing a little, John dug his thumb into the knot, gratified when he finally felt it giving. "You're going to make me order you to do it, aren't you?"

Rodney sighed again. "Look, there are some things I have no problem letting you control. Me jogging doesn't happen to be one of them."

"You will come jogging eventually, but I'm a reasonable guy. I'll let you see what the alternative is tomorrow before you make up your mind. Sex is great, but it's not exactly an exercise routine. I'll be damned if I lose you in a year or two to something preventable, like a heart attack or something, because you didn't take care of yourself."

"Carson would have told me if I was at risk for one. I'm fine, John. As healthy as I’m going to get."

"Humor me then. Try it for a week and see how it goes. I'll be gentle."

"I'm humoring you right now with this discussion."

"You're strapped to a bed, spread wide open, a plug in your ass and my hands on your body. I don't really see where the humoring part comes in." John smacked his ass lightly, jiggling the plug in the process.

"Ow! And I could have simply changed the subject or refused to discuss it at all. I am allowed to do that, right?" Rodney's tone was sharp, his back tensing a little under John's hands.

John leaned down to kiss the back of Rodney's neck. "You know you are. I was only teasing you."

Rodney sniffed in disdain. "Yes, well threatening me with no sex or worse because I don't want to do something is not funny."

"I'm not threatening."

"Yes, John. You are. And you're not listening to me. You're hearing but there's no comprehension in that pea-sized brain of yours."

"Rodney—"

"I'm serious."

"But I am going jogging in the morning, and I would like you to go with me."

"And I don't want to go." Rodney shifted, his back muscles tensing up.

John shifted again so he was covering Rodney's body with his own, ignoring the oil getting all over his chest. This was why he really wanted Rodney to visit the BDSM club. He loved the man, but he was getting really tired of having to placate him every time he thought John was trying to cross a line. He really wanted to feel free to tease and play without worrying about pissing him off. But then, this was all new to Rodney and John did want a relationship—something—with him, whatever it was.

"Fine, I'll drop it for now. I am chaining you to the damn bed while I'm gone though. Last time I tried to just leave you sleeping I had to hunt you down later."

Rodney tensed further. "So now you don't trust me. Fine."

"Rodney, please don't do this. I do trust you. I love you. It's just—" John broke off his comments, taking a breath. "Stop assuming I'm trying to pull one over on you or hurt you or whatever it is you're thinking I'm doing. I want you to jog with me, yes, but I know you know me well enough to know I wouldn't actually do something to you that you wouldn't like. And I was teasing you."

"Hard to tell from over here. And besides, I said no."

"That doesn't mean I can't try to convince you otherwise."

"But that also doesn't automatically mean that you're right and I have to agree with you. I said no."

"But you know I wouldn't actually force you. Why are you so quick to assume I'm that much of an ass?"

"Because you are an ass sometimes."

John reached up to twine his fingers with Rodney's, clinking their wedding bands together. "Not to start another fight, but this is actually one of the reasons I'm advocating the club. Because you don't see the difference, and I want you to. I don't want you to doubt me."

"I trust you, but I also know what I want to do or not do."

"You don't really trust me, Rodney, not really, not completely. And that's fine. I know it's something I have to earn. But you keep asking if you're allowed to disagree or have an opinion—that works both ways. I'm allowed to disagree with you, and I reserve the right to at least present my case. You accept that in your professional life, why won't you accept it from me?"

"Because right now it seems like I'm not allowed to disagree. You want your way and it's the only way."

"But it's not."

"But that's how it feels to me." Rodney's tone was firm.

John tried to hold back a sigh. Part of him knew Rodney was right, but he was the dom. He was supposed to know what was the best for his submissive. Why couldn't Rodney see that? "I didn't mean for it to come across that way."

"But it did. Okay, look, I’m wrong. I listened to you and I still disagree. Happy?"

"Not really, no. Because you're pissed at me and I don't know what else I can do about it."

"I'm guessing you letting me up to watch a movie or something is out of the question."

"Yeah, no. If I let you up I won't see you again for the rest of the night." John pressed a kiss into Rodney's neck. "I do love you, you know. And I want to make you feel good, make you happy. Sex is part of, but not all of it. You'll let me in when it comes to the bedroom, but you won't let me anywhere near the rest of you."

"Yeah, didn't think so," Rodney muttered. He sighed but continued a moment later, a little louder. "I'm trying. I am."

"I know you are." John squeezed his hands lightly. "And I'm trying to be patient, to teach you, let you discover this stuff at your own pace. I just get frustrated when we suddenly go from teasing and enjoying each other to fighting, and I have no idea why."

"I don't like fighting."

"Me neither. I'd much rather be ravishing you than fighting with you." John closed his eyes briefly, wishing he could just find a way to make Rodney understand.

He felt and heard Rodney sigh again. "Maybe this isn't for us."

"I'm going to pretend you didn't say that, considering how hard we've both come, more than once, since we started. And we do love each other. Speaking for myself, I want to be with you more than I've ever wanted anyone before. But we're also both stubborn men, which means we occasionally butt heads and have to find a compromise, or at least come to an understanding. That's what a relationship is all about."

The air conditioning clicked back on, the only sound in the suite for a few moments. "I'm just tired of fighting with you."

"I know. I don't want to do this either, the fighting thing." Kissing Rodney's neck again, John pushed himself back up and started massaging Rodney's back again, trying to undo all the knots his tensing up had caused. "So what do you say for now we table the discussion and get back to me making you feel good for a little while?"

"John, you don't have to." Rodney's tone was resigned.

"Don't have to what? Touch you? Make you feel good? I like this, Rodney. I love putting my hands on you, feeling your skin under my fingers."

Rodney was silent for a long moment, John's hands sliding over his back, trying to ease the tension away once again. When he finally spoke again, his voice was quiet. "I don't want to change who I am."

"I know. And I don't want you to." John stared at the spot he was working on, trying to find the right words in his head. "In some ways, I'm as new to this as you are. I'm sorry you felt like I was trying to change you—that wasn't my intention."

"That's what it felt like to me."

"I'm sorry." John caressed the back of Rodney's neck. "I mean it when I say I love you the way you are. I will try to convince you to try things with me, but just remind me of this if I push too far, and I'll back off, all right?"

"I'll try to remember when we're fighting."

John leaned down again, finding the side of Rodney's face so he could kiss his jaw. "I'll try to do better."

"But why do I feel like it's always me demanding something from you?"

"Because I'm a shithead who keeps pushing you too far, too fast?" John kept nuzzling the side of Rodney's face. He didn't know how else to show him he wasn't angry or upset—as much as it sucked to fight, they would both be happier if they could set the boundaries now. At least that way John would know what not to say and when not to push.

"I think what's more disturbing is the fact that I apparently have no problems with the sex part of the relationship—which is where I thought I'd have issues." Rodney sighed, sagging into the bed a little. "Talk about having one's priorities straight."

"Sex is the easy part." John paused for a moment. "Well, easier at any rate. It's the rest of the stuff, figuring out how to live together, that's hard. But you're worth it, Rodney. I'm not going anywhere, no matter how long it takes us to work out the kinks."

"And what kinks we have…"

Grinning, John licked Rodney's ear, which was so conveniently located. "Who doesn't like a few kinks now and then?"

"Given the current…predicament I'm in, apparently we have no problems with them." There was a slight smile in Rodney's voice, which made John breathe a little easier. Something was getting through at least.

"And what a predicament it is." Grinning and licking him again, John sat up, running slick fingers up and down Rodney's arms before moving back to his back, down to his ass. He pulled the plug out, coated it with more oil, and then teased for a moment before pushing it back in.

Rodney groaned, pressing up into John's hands as far as the bonds would allow. After a few pants, he finally continued their conversation. "And…I'll think about it. Okay? It doesn't mean that I'm going to change my mind, but I'll think about what you said."

"That's all I'm asking." John caressed Rodney's shoulders, pouring more oil on to work into his skin. "I don't mind if you disagree with me, all I want is for you to think about it before you say no. And if it's still no, I won't push it."

"Some things I don't need to think about."

"I know."

"Jogging. That's one of them. I've already been training with Teyla and Ford…well, before with Ford. But it was because I needed to do that."

"And that's fine. But I also don't want you to lose the muscle you've built up while we're waiting to hear what the SGC decides. You've worked hard to get to this point, I'm proud of you for doing it, and I'd hate to see you have to take a step back. But it's also one of those things I'm willing to let drop. I do plan to jog tomorrow morning because I enjoy it, but you don't have to come."

"Good. Lounging in bed is more my speed."

"You can think of all the wicked things I'll do to you as soon as I get back."

"I plan to be sleeping."

"I'll probably wake you up long enough to let you know I'm going, but knowing I have a sleep-tousled McKay in my bed waiting for me is pretty good incentive to make it a quick run." John used his nails a little down Rodney's back to change up the sensations a bit.

Rodney hissed at the change before moaning, his body trembling as John continued to play and tease—going from relaxation to arousal—alternating light with hard strokes, fingers and nails.

Rodney's reactions, coupled with the fact that John was sitting naked on Rodney while they were both covered in oil, his cock rubbing against the curve of Rodney's ass, were starting to get John hard. As much as he wanted to try out more toys, he needed to be inside Rodney this time around. "I can't decide—should I fuck you hard and fast, or should I make it so slow we're both shaking with the need for release by the end? They both have their appeal."

"Doesn't matter," Rodney panted, groaning in pleasure, his response muffled as he pressed his face into the bedspread, trying to arch a little into John's hands.

"I could always do both. Take you hard now to take the edge off, then go slow and sweet later."

"As long as I get to come at some point I don't care." A quick glance told John all he needed to know, that Rodney was offering himself to him, willing and eager to take what John wanted to give.

"You'll get to come eventually, probably more than once." He wasn't sure when in his life making someone else come had become more important than coming himself, but John found he liked watching and feeling and hearing Rodney lose it.

"Then…" Rodney said, nodding, a light smile on his face. "Whatever you want, John."

John used the oil to slick himself up, then pulled the plug out of Rodney, pushing himself in immediately afterwards. His lover was still loose from the earlier sex and the plug, and John moaned as the tight heat welcomed him in.

Rodney groaned as John seated himself fully, the sound low and deep. "Oh…feels so good."

John leaned back down, wrapping himself around Rodney as much as possible, both of them groaning as the movement drove John even deeper. He found a spot on Rodney's neck and started to nibble.

Turning his head, McKay offered up more skin for John, his body thrumming with tension—but of a very different nature this time around. He clenched down several times, squeezing John and forcing several more groans out of Sheppard.

"Oh...God…Rodney…if you keep that up I'm not going to last very long." John had to stop his assault on the tempting skin to pant for breath.

"And? There's a problem with that?" Rodney asked, his voice low as he panted, trying to power through his own set of sensations.

"Just pointing it out." John bit down on Rodney's shoulder, leaving a small mark that he then licked, sucked and kissed until it was a nice sized mark. "I'm going to have to pace myself or I'll start to run out of places to claim you."

"A walking bruise is not a good thing," Rodney said, breathing deeply as John pressed his tongue against the mark he'd just made, moaning and squirming a little under John. Between the bindings and John's own weight, he really had no place to go. "And that's a new spot."

"I don't have you on your stomach very often. I prefer your front since there are more things to play with, but I thought I'd take advantage while I had you here. It's such a nice broad back. It needed some decoration." John was fast getting to the point where he was going to have to move, as Rodney continued to wiggle and clench around him.

"No," Rodney said, "you tend to prefer….oh…god….prefer other positions. But I thought variety…was….oh…the spice of life and whatnot."

John wiggled a bit, getting up on his elbows to get some leverage so he could start lazily thrusting. "You're talking to a man who just spent a lot of money buying toys to provide you with sexual variety."

"Yes…oh god…more please…" Rodney moaned as John brushed against his prostate. "Variety…good."

John had to grin, despite his building climax. Reducing Rodney to half-sentences and broken moans was just about the best feeling in the world. "I think I can be of service then."

It didn't take long for Rodney to lose his ability to form meaningful or relevant words as John continued his slow and steady pace, hitting Rodney's sweet spot with every other thrust. McKay panted into the mattress, his whimpers and moans half-lost to the bedding as Sheppard continued to draw him higher. But with Rodney's ass clenching around his cock, it was going to be hard for him to hang on much longer.

"Come for me." He knew he couldn't keep this up, and he wanted to feel Rodney's pleasure around him first.

It didn’t take longer than a few seconds before his lover's breath hitched and he clenched down hard on John, his body shuddering as he came, a low, strangled moan punctuating the event, his body slowly relaxing even as John continued to press into him, nursing him through the aftershocks, riding him until the sensation was too much.

Calling out his lover's name, John let go, let the sensations wash over him. He fell forward against Rodney's back, gulping in huge breaths of air as his body continued to tremble.

With his cock still buried deep within Rodney and his lover panting beneath him interspersed with content murmurs and hums, John knew he should get up, knew that he was probably crushing McKay, but right now Sheppard didn't think he'd be able to manage it.

"Let me know when I get too heavy." John vaguely thought they should probably go shower—maybe try out the huge bathtub he had seen in there earlier. And change the sheets. Those had to be a mess.

"Hmm…not yet," Rodney replied after a moment, his response lazy, which meant his brain was starting to slow down. John doubted he'd been able to get anywhere near sub-headspace—not after the day they'd had. "Wet though. Can wait."

"When I get fine motor control again, I'll go run us a bath. It had whirlpool jets."

"No rush. Bed's comfy."

"'Kay." Since he hadn't napped earlier when Rodney had, John found himself drifting off, caught somewhere between being fully awake and asleep, happy and warm on top of and inside Rodney.

Not sure how long he drifted in that in-between state, replaying the feeling and sensations of his lover, how it felt to touch him, ground him, feel him, he was surprised to hear Rodney's slightly shaky voice. "John?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you alive? It's been…a while and you're not really moving…not that I'm complaining, but trying to explain to someone this whole…situation is not exactly the way I want to spend my first night in Vegas."

"M'alive. Why, how long's it been? What time is it?" John slowly shook off his lethargic state, surprised at how dark the room was. "Did I fall asleep? You should have said something sooner, you have to be uncomfortable."

"I tried. You weren't answering."

"I wasn't?" John carefully pulled out of Rodney, both of them hissing a little. He immediately started unhooking the straps on his lover's arms. "How long was I out of it? Last I remember is coming and feeling you come and thinking we should take a bath."

"I…I can't see the clock from here and it's not like I could get up to look or even try and shake you…" There was an undercurrent to Rodney's voice John didn't like, making him move a little faster, unhooking the spreader so he could turn him over, pulling him close—and ending up in the wet spot.

He ignored the uncomfortable feeling, more concerned with the panic he must have put Rodney through. Pulling Rodney close, he tipped his face to kiss him deeply. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize how tired I was. If I had known that was going to happen I would have unhooked you first."

"It's just that I wasn't sure if you were breathing or not…it was hard to tell and I wasn't sure and then I started thinking about all the things that could have happened…you know, heart attack, stroke, some kind of strange hemorrhage, maybe a toxic condition brought on by too much oil or lube or a delayed allergic reaction to the fruit plate or the cheese…"

"Sshhh. It's okay. I'm fine. I didn't nap earlier when you did, that's all. I don't know why I didn't wake up when you called me, usually any noise will wake me up. Come on, let's go get you cleaned up. I'll run a bath and you can soak your muscles for a bit and I'll take care of cleaning up the bed." He ran his hands over Rodney's back and arms, trying to comfort him, stop the shaking his lover was doing.

"I'm sorry. It's stupid. I should know better. You were breathing and you'd been talking to me before…"

"Trust me, I know. The time you passed out of me I completely freaked out, remember? It's okay." John slowly pulled Rodney back, towards the edge of the bed and then led him into the bathroom. He wasn't surprised when Rodney kept one hand on him, following him closely as he turned the hot water on, gathering towels and adding some sort of relaxing salt to the water, which put off a clean scent. That done, he turned, sitting on the side of the tub and pulling Rodney to stand between his legs, wrapping his arms around him.

"I feel like an idiot, but I’m really glad you're not dead," Rodney said after a minute of holding tightly onto John.

John just held him for a moment, before standing again and leading him back into the bedroom, where he grabbed the key to the cuffs, quickly taking all four off and setting them on the dresser. When they returned to the bathroom, John saw the tub was full, so he shut off the water, leading Rodney to step in with him. John sat down on the seat that ran all the way around the circular marble tub, arranging Rodney between his legs again, sitting on the floor with his back against John.

Rodney shivered as he leaned back, letting John's arms pull him close, his head resting on John's shoulder. His hands weren't still, however, tracing patterns on John's legs and thighs and wherever he could reach. It took a few minutes, but Sheppard could almost sense the exact moment when McKay finally calmed down.

Grabbing a washcloth and soap from a tray nearby, John started to clean Rodney's arms and chest, keeping his movements slow, the touches soft and reassuring. He kissed the top of Rodney's head as he worked, breathing into his hair. "Better?"

"Yes, sorry," he said with a sigh. "It seems I've managed to ruin everything you planned. Today's been pretty horrible, hasn't it?"

"You haven't ruined anything. It's been a rough day, yes, but not horrible. When you're clean, I'll let you soak for a bit while I change the sheets. We can get a good night's sleep and start fresh tomorrow. How does that sound?"

"Too good to be true." Rodney turned slightly, glancing up toward John, a rueful expression on his face. "I really don't mean to be difficult. It just kind of happens."

John let the corners of his mouth curve up. "I knew that when I decided I wanted you. Against all odds, difficult is kinda hot." He ran the pad of his thumb along Rodney's jaw. "It really is okay. We're on vacation, and we can do whatever we want. I have tickets for tomorrow night, so that leaves the whole day to lounge around or go out or whatever you want."

"You're the expert when it comes to Vegas," Rodney said, drifting closer. "I'm sure you can find something for us to do." He finally closed the distance, kissing John with abandon.

John opened up and let Rodney take control for a little while, dictating the pace and strength of the kiss. He could still taste a little of his lover's desperation, so he gave him what he needed to reassure himself John was okay. In the back of his head, John made a mental note to tell Carson about this the next time he saw him, just to make sure there really was nothing wrong.

When Rodney had taken his fill, John took over, softening it, deepening it, making sure he knew nothing had changed between them. McKay's hands had drifted, one resting on John's cock the other snaking around his back, each slowly caressing Sheppard.

He felt himself stirring, getting hard with the feel of Rodney's hand moving with almost no friction under the water. He broke the kiss to rest his head against Rodney's, breath coming quicker, although he wasn't ready to come yet.

"Hmm…" Rodney finally said, a smile in his voice. "You feel so good." Rodney ducked his head, pushing his face into John's neck, his breath hot against Sheppard's skin as his hands slowly stopped moving, simply holding John, breathing in him.

Setting his arousal aside, John wrapped his arms tighter around Rodney's body, holding him close. He was a bit embarrassed when, a few minutes later his stomach growled loudly. He realized that, other than a few bites of the lunch he had fed Rodney earlier, he hadn't actually eaten today. He was suddenly ravenous. "Wow. I think I need to eat."

"You didn't eat?" Rodney asked, leaning back suddenly, looking over John. "What do you mean you didn't eat? There was food. I know this from firsthand experience. You have to eat. Eating is a vital bodily function."

John shook his head. "I was busy at the time feeding you. I guess I sort of forgot to feed myself. What do you say we get dressed and see if we can get reservations at one of the restaurants in the hotel? The room comes with free concierge service."

"You mean go out?" Rodney's confused expression was so cute. John didn't think that terminology would do over well, though.

"Yes. We won't leave the hotel though. If we can't get in anywhere we can walk to in five minutes, we'll order room service."

"But that requires…clothes and actually looking presentable."

Laughing, John kissed him again. "Well, the clothes part, yes. But this is Vegas, we don't have to get dressed up if we don't want to. It runs the gamut in terms of dress code."

"Actually," Rodney said after a moment. "I could eat. Pick somewhere you'd like to go. I'll dress accordingly."

"Let's get dried off and I'll call to see what's available. I could go for Italian if we can find a place this late." The carbohydrates in a big plate of pasta would do wonders for him. In fact, that was probably the reason he had crashed so hard, the stress of the day, combined with no food and several orgasms had just been too much for his body.

Rodney nodded, already shifting to get out of the tub. "You should eat. It does a body good and whatnot."

"Sir, yes, sir." John teased as he followed him out, grabbing a towel before Rodney could get his hands on them and drying his lover off, then himself. "Want to see about the sheets while I call then?" John walked into the bedroom, still hard from Rodney's earlier caressing, and picked up the phone on the desk.

"What about the sheets?" Rodney asked, staring down at the bed, the cuffs and spreader bar where they'd left them in their haste. "It's just the top one."

"Well, pull it off and toss it in the corner. I'll put a fresh one on before we go to bed tonight." Looking up the number for the concierge, John dialed down. "Hello? I was wondering if I could get reservations for any place that serves good pasta tonight."

"Of course. Mister Sheppard," the woman said pleasantly. "We have several locations that may fit your requirements. Were you looking for anything specific?"

"Nope, just good Fettuccini Alfredo, and the sooner the better." Turning, John admired Rodney's body as the other man messed with the bed.

"Of course, sir. I'll make your reservation at Valentino. Will fifteen minutes be sufficient time for you?"

He blinked. "Wow, I can't believe you still have spots open there, and that fast."

"For you, sir, it's not a problem. Shall I make that reservation?"

He could get used to this. He really needed to send Roger a fruit basket or something. "Perfect. We'll be there." When he hung up, he started mentally sorting through their clothes, moving to the suitcases. "We have reservations at Valentino in fifteen."

"Wow. That was quick," Rodney said, looking up from the drawer where he was storing their toys. "Is this…I thought it might be good to put some of it away in case they do turn-down service or something. And we need to clean some of them."

"Good idea. Leave the ones that need to be cleaned out, I'll take care of them before we go. Here. These okay?" He handed Rodney the pair of dark jeans with the shirt that set off his eyes, and the blazer, getting a quick nod in return. For himself, he had pulled out his black jeans, the black shirt Rodney fondled him in, and his leather jacket. He quickly got dressed and took care of the toys, stowing them in the drawer with the others while Rodney got ready.

McKay was pulling on his shoes when John walked back into the bedroom, checking his watch for the time. "I know, I know. We have like five minutes, don't we?" Rodney said, glancing up briefly.

"About that. But it's not far. Just down the elevators." John grinned as Rodney's eyes went directly to his chest. "Ready to go?"

"I was until I saw that."

"Saw what?" John looked down at himself—everything was where it should be, although he'd had to talk his erection down. "Did I miss something?"

"No. Didn't miss a thing," Rodney said, stepping forward, his hands resting on John's chest, right over his nipples. With a smirk, he glanced up and caught John's eyes. "Didn't miss a thing."

John sucked in a breath, his dick immediately jumping back up to play. "We have reservations."

"Uh huh."

Swallowing hard, John tried to think un-sexy thoughts. It was hard to do when deft fingers were running over and over his nipples—the bastard knew he couldn't think straight when someone played with his nipples. "Food. I need to eat, remember."

"Uh huh. You do. Shame, isn't it?"

Groaning, John closed his eyes and took a step backwards, pulling Rodney along with him. "You are going to kill me."

"I certainly hope not. Then I wouldn't be able to play with you…and well…you know." Rodney's face got a strange shy expression as John finally took his hands, lowering them while he moved them forward.

"Mmmm." John kissed him hard and then linked their hands together, tugging Rodney out into the living room area towards the door. "I am claiming a rain-check on this. When we get back, you can play with them all you want."

They walked out the door to the elevator, hand-in-hand, "If you have no other plans for me, that is—which I'm not going to argue about. I've reached my arguing quota for the day…with you at least. The morons who we might encounter tonight are another story entirely."

Chuckling, John hit the button for their destination, briefly missing transporters with a sharp stab of homesickness he quickly set aside. "Oh, we'll get to my other plans. But you've now aroused me twice and left me hanging. When we get back, you're going to finish the job before we do anything else. And feel free to berate the morons at will. It'll be dinner and entertainment, and I'm not one to turn down a deal like that."

Rodney chuckled, shaking his head and something in John finally settled. "We'll see."

They made it to the restaurant only a few minutes late and were seated immediately. "I could get used to this sort of treatment."

"Are you sure you didn't plan all of this as a way to impress me?" Rodney asked, looking around, his eyes wide. The restaurant was full and there had been one long line waiting to get in. They'd gotten a few sour looks when they'd walked in.

"If I had thought of it, I might have. But I wasn't that forward-thinking I'm afraid." John skimmed the menu. "I don't even know where to start with this."

"Food would be good. I know how you get when you start with drinks." Rodney took a moment to read the menu before closing it with a snap.

"I get clingy when I get tipsy. You don't want me hanging on you all night cracking bad puns and innuendo?" John decided on what he wanted and closed his own menu.

"No. It's bad enough that you do that when you're sober," he commented, pausing when the waiter arrived where Rodney proceeded to go into a dissertation regarding his meal, John was actually surprised that the man didn't complain, instead he jotted everything down, repeating it back to McKay when he was finished—all without Rodney having to ask.

High class restaurants rocked.

John gave his own order, with far fewer special instructions, then leaned back in the seat, accepting a glass of wine—it was free, why not?—from a passing waitress. "So, other than the shows I have planned and walking the strip, what do you want to see? I was thinking a day trip out to the Grand Canyon or maybe see the Hoover Dam."

Rodney shrugged, handing John the basket of bread—a not so subtle hint. "I've never been to either."

John ate a roll in two bites, suddenly remembering just how hungry he was. He grabbed another one and ate it a bit more slowly, but not by much, and set the wine down after a few sips—he would finish it with dinner. "I've been to the dam, but not the Grand Canyon. I'd love to do a helicopter ride out there."

"Death-defying trips in a small craft was not really on my agenda," Rodney said slowly. "If you had your heart set on it though—and the place was top-notch and heavily insured—I'd consider it."

"What I would really love would be to fly us out there myself, but there aren't many people who will let a total stranger take their helicopters out for joy rides. I kind of miss flying them."

"You certainly got a lot of practice in Antarctica," Rodney said, sipping at his wine. "I'd feel safer if you were piloting, honestly."

John shrugged. "They're a lot different from jets or jumpers. The controls are all different, and they take a lot more skill and care to fly. I like going Mach 5, but I like being in control of a machine like that, too." He sighed softly. The itch to be in the air, behind the controls of an aircraft was starting to sneak up on him again. "Too bad you can't rent one like you can a car. I'd do that in a heartbeat."

"No, they generally frown on that. Too many people who want to fly without the proper training and all."

A waiter appeared a moment later, their first course in hand and they both dug into their meal—apparently they were both hungrier than either of them originally thought. Their dinner conversation was light, teasing, as they discussed possible day trips and John outlined a little of what he'd already planned, the shows he's purchased tickets for.

By the time they swallowed the last bite of dinner, Rodney leaned back, a contented and pleasantly full expression on his face. "That was amazing."

"I have to agree with you there. Wow. I'd suggest dessert, but I probably pop if I ate any more right now. After we get the check, want to wander around a bit to walk some of this off? Maybe grab something sweet before we head back upstairs later?"

"Sure. I've never been here before, but it certainly looks like there's a lot to see."

"It's a neat hotel. There's a lot to see—they even have gondola rides through the hotel. I've always wanted to do that. It looks neat."

Rodney nodded. "Walking might be nice."

John charged the meal to the room, then, hand in hand, they wandered for a while. They stopped in a few stores, and actually bought a few things for Elizabeth, Teyla, and Carson. The gondolas were closed for the night, but John decided they would try to get one before they left.

They had gone full circle, ending up back near the restaurant, when he spotted a small dessert parlor. "I think I want ice cream. Want anything?"

"Hmm…" Rodney said. "Maybe coffee."

Nodding, John left him and the bags at a table, ordering Rodney a large, sweet coffee and

a massive chocolate chip cookie, and getting himself a small dish of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. He managed to get it all to the table without spilling or dropping anything. "Hey there hot stuff, do you put out for coffee and cookies?" John grinned.

"Depends."

Sliding the items over, John sat across from Rodney and hooked his ankles around his lover's. "On what? I'm a pretty determined suitor."

"On how good the coffee and cookies are and of course what you might have in mind for the rest of the evening." Rodney paused, taking a sip of his coffee. "And did you get the chance to look in the suite kitchen? Is there actually food in there? Would be nice if we didn't have to get up or wait for room service if we wanted something."

John shook his head. "I didn't look, to be honest. We can swing into the hotel store and grab a few things for tomorrow morning before we head up though. We can always go to the grocery store and stock up for the rest of the week tomorrow." He let his smile turn into a leer. "And I was thinking you could play with me for a while, and then I'll try out a few more toys on you."

Rodney nodded. "I actually figured you'd be a bit more…adventurous."

Raising an eyebrow, John realized he was getting hard and was probably flushed. "You'd be interested in using a few toys on me?"

"I…uh…" Rodney turned a little red and glanced away. "I hadn't actually thought about that. I was actually referring to you using things on me…" It was amusing to see Rodney blush like that in public.

"Well, that's a given. But I, ah, wouldn't mind if you wanted to experiment a bit from the other end." He had actually bought a set of nipple clamps designed to be used with pierced nipples, but he hadn't been sure Rodney would ever want to use them.

"I…I don't know. I'd have to see."

John ate some of his ice cream, shuddering at the cold contrast to his growing heat. "Up to you. I'd enjoy it, but if you don't want to, it's okay."

"How about we decide once we're there and we see all of our options?"

John rubbed his foot along Rodney's ankle. "Works for me. Wanna try a bite of this? It's really good."

"No citrus?"

"Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough."

"Huh. Sure, why not?" He leaned forward waiting for John.

Taking a scoop, making sure to get a bit of everything on the spoon, John held it out, not bothering to hide his shudder as Rodney slowly licked it away.

Rodney smirked at him, his eyes holding John's. "I think we might be getting an audience."

"Are we?" He couldn't look away from Rodney to see for himself.

He nodded. "Two women. Three o'clock…my three o'clock."

John flicked his eyes up, frowning slightly at the sight. The women were watching them closely, but he didn’t think he had ever seen them before, so he dismissed them. "They're probably just jealous I have such a hot boyfriend."

"Maybe. Want to take this somewhere more private?"

"Oh God, yes." John quickly finished his ice cream, standing up and holding out a hand to Rodney. He leaned in to give his lover a cold kiss, smiling against his lips when Rodney gasped quietly.

"You sure you didn't want any to take up?"

"We do have a freezer."

"Yes, we do. You might want to pick something you'd like." Rodney glanced at him through lidded eyes.

"What's your favorite flavor? I'll get a few pints."

"Coffee or chocolate. You couldn't guess?"

Laughing, John went back up to the counter, ordering a pint of Mocha Chip, a pint of the Cookie Dough, and a pint of Mint Chocolate Chip to go, bringing them all back to Rodney. "What do you say we turn in for the night?"

"Whatever you'd like, sir," Rodney said, leaning in to whisper the last word.

John closed his eyes on a moan, and had to take a few seconds to get himself under control before he could walk. "Room. Now."

"Lead the way," Rodney smirked.

They gathered up their bags, and John practically dragged Rodney back to the room—which fortunately wasn't far. He managed to get the ice cream in the freezer before he turned, shoving Rodney against the wall and claiming his mouth in a demanding kiss.

As McKay opened his mouth letting John dive in, his hands were climbing under Sheppard's shirt, skimming along his hips before latching onto the skin of his back.

John moaned into his lover's mouth, pushing in as deep as he could go, chasing down the lingering bits of coffee and chocolate there. He got a leg between Rodney's and started to rub.

Rodney's sounds only increased as he bucked up against John trying to get more friction, more sensation, his fingers digging into John's back as he pulled him closer.

John worked a hand down between them, pinching at Rodney's nipples. He pulled away from his mouth long enough to growl, "Come," before diving back in.

As Rodney's head thumped back against the wall, he growled into John's mouth and his body shuddered, fingers dragging along the muscles of John's back.

John slipped his hand down further, growling again, this time in satisfaction, when he felt the damp material. He moved his mouth down to Rodney's neck, knowing he was leaving another mark and not caring, as he got his hands under Rodney's shirt to play with his nipples again.

Slumped against the wall, Rodney continued to moan, words, phrases, and sentences long gone.

John teased him until he felt Rodney starting to get hard again, the sensory overload pushing his lover's body higher and higher. For the first time in his life, John wished he had a leash handy. Since he didn't—the one he had bought more to give the nice salesgirl an even bigger commission was buried at the bottom of a bag somewhere—John fisted his hand in Rodney's shirt and stepped back, tugging him along. "You are getting naked now."

Nodding, his eyes wide in arousal and desire, Rodney followed John to the bedroom, trying to strip and walk at the same time—which wasn't working very well.

When they got through the door, he had only managed to shed a shoe and his pants were undone. John pushed him back up against the wall and quickly, efficiently, took off his clothes. "Don't move." He went to the toy drawer and pulled out the cuffs and locks.

Rodney watched John carefully, panting as he waited, eyes dark—nearly none of the blue left.

Stalking back over, John locked them into place, something inside him uncurling at the physical claim they made. Rodney was his. John pushed another hard kiss against his lover's lips, then went back to the toy corner, pulling out the suspension bar, attaching it to the hook in the ceiling designed for this. "Come here."

John saw anticipation and excitement in his lover's face as he moved quickly, offering his bound hands and a tentative smile to John even before he was all the way across the room.

John's pants were incredibly uncomfortable, but he ignored his dick for now. Taking Rodney's hands in his, he brought them over his lover's head, attaching them to the bar. He went back to the drawer and pulled out a set of nipple clamps and the beads—two toys he hadn't had a chance to try yet—along with the blindfold.

"What…" Rodney managed to ask, his eyes on the clamps.

John walked over and carefully attached them—since they had never used these, he had grabbed the tweezer style, which weren't painful—just applied a constant pressure. There was a chain running between them, and John tugged on it lightly.

Rodney's knees buckled, his bound arms catching his weight as he hissed, his body shuddering. "Oh god…"

"On your feet. We aren't even close to done yet." John stepped in to give Rodney some support until he could take his own weight again.

""kay…" he said, straightening up, moaning as the chain swung with his movement. "Oh…god…"

John gave him an evil grin, snaking out his tongue to lick the tip of a nipple peeking out between the rubber of the clamps. "I think we can add these to the favorite toy list."

Groaning, Rodney closed his eyes, his body trembling as John played, teasing the overly sensitive nub with this tongue, the additional pressure tearing whimpers from Rodney's throat.

John pulled back and eyed Rodney's heavily-leaking cock and then the chain attached to the clamps, and smiled. He dug out the cock ring he remembered coming with them —it had a chain of its own that attached to the one running between the clamps. John slipped it on his lover, securing it in place before standing back and watching to see how Rodney would react to this new sensation.

The begging never sounded so sweet, John thought a few moments later, the disjoined words amid moans and groans was exactly what he wanted to hear.

He considered the blindfold again, but discarded it for now. Rodney was already close to sensory overload, and John wanted to play a bit longer. Instead he picked up the beads and grabbed the lube from the bedside table, slicking them up as he walked around Rodney. "Ready for more?"

Taking a deep breath, Rodney nodded, meeting John's eyes as he shifted on his feet as if he could get away from the pinching of his nipples, but only ending up giving himself more sensation in an odd feedback loop.

Moving behind him, one hand on Rodney's shoulder to ground him, John began to push the beads inside, one by one, watching Rodney swallow them and knowing they were filling him. "When I pull these out, I'll do it in one, long rush. Before that happens, I'll take the cock-ring off, because you will come harder than you ever have before. So for now, we're just going to leave them in and let you feel them inside you."

"Oh….oh…okay," Rodney said, head dropped down on his chest as he took in long breaths. "Feels so good…"

"Mmmm, wait till they come out." John came around to stand in front of Rodney again, taking his face between both hands and kissing him deeply.

Moaning into the kiss, Rodney pressed himself along John's body, the added sensation between John's clothes, the chain, and the clamps seeming to arouse him more.

Dropping to his knees, John licked a stripe up Rodney's erection and then swallowed him down, closing his eyes and moaning at the taste and feel of his lover.

Rodney nearly thrust into John's mouth, but managed to stop himself, moaning and whimpering instead, his head thrown back, hands clenched, knees threatening to buckle.

John pulled off long enough to give Rodney a speculative look. He wrapped one hand around the base of him to make sure he wouldn't be able to go too deep and then smiled. "Fuck my mouth." And went down on him again.

"Oh god…" he moaned, trying to brace his feet before he started to move, small thrusts, shallow, tentative.

John hummed in encouragement and sucked a bit harder.

Rodney stuttered, losing what little rhythm he'd established.

John just kept humming and sucked, throwing a bit of tongue in every now and then for variety. He wanted to push Rodney as high as he could go before he used the beads to make him come.

It took a few moments before Rodney started again, his slow thrusts becoming more forceful, steadier.

John lost himself in it for a while, enjoying the sensations until the pull of his mouth started to get a little painful. He pulled off slowly, giving Rodney a chance to adjust as he rose, letting the man taste his own pre-come in John's mouth.

The sob of frustration nearly made John laugh, but he didn't, instead deepening the kiss, trying to let Rodney know that it wouldn't be too much longer now.

"When I pull the ring off, I don't want you to come yet. Not until the beads come out. Understand?"

"God…please…"

"Tell me you understand. Trust me. It will be better if you wait for it."

"Yes…yes…" he groaned, nodding, his eyes clenched tightly together.

John carefully removed the ring, trying not to jar Rodney any more than necessary. He moved around behind him and fingered the string attached to the beads. Kissing Rodney's neck, he pulled them out in one swift motion.

Knees buckling, Rodney let loose a strangled yell, his body shuddering several times before going limp, all his weight supported by the suspension bar and cuffs.

Moving back around, John was impressed with the distance Rodney had gotten that time—he had come hard. Pulling off the clamps, John tossed them on the dresser and then maneuvered Rodney so he could unhook him from the bars. Grateful for all the strength training he did, John somehow got Rodney over to the bed, laying him on it with his legs hanging over the side. John tracked down a washcloth from the bathroom, and was almost done cleaning his lover off when Rodney's eyes flickered open again. "Welcome back."

"Mmm," he replied before his eyes slid closed again.

Chuckling, John finished cleaning the sticky come out of Rodney's hair—really impressive distance—then tossed the cloth on the floor somewhere, stretching out along side Rodney to watch him recover.

One of McKay's hands eventually made it to John's side, laying against his chest—the warmth transferring through his shirt to the skin below.

John reached up, twining his fingers through Rodney's and holding both against him.

Rodney's breath started evening out almost immediately.

Still smiling, John toed off his shoes, letting them fall to the floor. He scooted up the bed and tugged Rodney gently until the other man was more or less arranged comfortably. Then John curled his own body alongside, tangling their fingers again, and closed his eyes, letting himself drift off.

When John felt a tug at his hand, he opened his eyes, watching as Rodney tried to pull his hand free.

"Hey. Thought you were asleep."

"I…ah…need to pee."

"Oh. Okay." John let go of Rodney's hand and smiled at the view as his lover headed to the bathroom. "Anyone ever tell you that you have a great ass?"

Rodney paused, looking over his shoulder, his expression soft. "You have."

"It bears repeating."

"Anytime you'd like."

"Go pee so you can come back to bed. I'm getting cold."

Rodney rolled his eyes. "Oh, yes. Your own personal heater."

"Mmmm. Personal heater with an amazing ass. Go take care of business—I want you here next to me."

Shaking his head, Rodney stumbled off. John could hear him taking care of business and washing his hands, his bare feet padding across the floor a moment before he slid under the sheets.

John rolled to his side so he could look down at Rodney's face. In the dim light coming from the living area, it was soft and almost vulnerable. The urge to comfort him, to make sure he knew he was loved and cherished, overwhelmed anything else John was feeling. "God, you're beautiful."

Rodney, though, was on a totally different channel. "Why are you still dressed?"

He blinked a few times. Honestly, he had forgotten about that, had gotten too caught up in Rodney's pleasure and making him feel good to remember his own. "I haven't actually come yet. Huh."

"How'd that happen?"

"You were more important." John slipped his hand up Rodney's chest, letting it rest heavily against him. He made a face. "And I hadn't even noticed until you mentioned it. Now it hurts."

"Of course it hurts! You should have said something, done something." Rodney rose up on an elbow, looking down at John. "Your toy obsession—not that I'm complaining—has apparently made you lose brain cells."

"So do something about it. Undress me and have your wicked way with me." John laid back flat on his back, putting his hands behind his head.

Rodney sighed, crawling out from under the covers to lie next to John. "Anything specific you have in mind?"

"Honestly? I just want to feel you touching me, against my skin."

He looked at John for a long moment before nodding to himself. "I…you're going to have to get up to get your clothes off."

John reached for the button on his pants, flicking it open and wiggling his hips to push them down along with his boxers, letting Rodney tug them away once they were mostly free of his body. Then he sat up, pulling his shirt off, tossing it aside. "God, it's funny, I didn't even realize how good it would feel not to be confined any more until the damn pants were gone."

Rodney chuckled, running his hands along John's legs. "Confinement is not always a bad thing."

Groaning, John lifted his hips in a silent plea for friction where he needed it. "Confinement is all well and good, but I think I've been hard since you fondled me before dinner."

"Sorry. We could have done something about it then, but you were in an all-fire hurry to get downstairs," Rodney said, his hands touching everywhere except the places John wanted.

John let his body relax into the bed. He didn't often give Rodney free reign of his body, so he was curious as to what that genius brain would decide to do. "Oh… orgasm denial just makes it better when you do finally come."

"If you say so. Any thoughts on what you're looking for?" Rodney asked, his fingers circling his nipples. "Fast? Slow? Hot? Wet?"

Panting, John pushed his chest up. "There's that chocolate body paint we bought…"

"Hmmm…tonight? I mean…we can if you want, or we can do that another night. Although…it's in the drawer, right?" Rodney was off the bed in a shot, rummaging through the drawer to emerge with the tub and paintbrush a few minutes later. "I have just the thing."

Opening the lid, the pulled back the seal and dipped the brush in getting it nice and coated, sticking the tip of his finger in and tasting the paint as he looked over John's body.

"I honestly don't know how much stamina I have tonight, so I’m going to go with something I know." Climbing up on the bed, John watched Rodney coat his cock with the paint, running the brush up and down making sure every piece of skin was covered.

The paint warmed against his skin, the bristles of the brush so feather-light that John wanted to howl with frustration. He needed friction damn it. Maybe this hadn't been… Rodney suddenly set aside the tools and licked him, making John cant his hips up and keen. He wanted to be in Rodney's mouth now, and he was vaguely aware he was begging.

"Give me a minute, John," Rodney said, scrambling to get himself in position between John's legs. For some reason as he moved, John caught sight of the black leather cuffs and realized vaguely how nice they contrasted against Rodney's skin. But before he could form more of a thought, Rodney was swallowing him down, using his hands to keep himself upright.

Using tongue, teeth, and suction Rodney worked John quickly, bringing him to the edge of orgasm before backing off. Again and again John reached the tipping point only to be brought down.

So it was a surprise when Rodney's hands latched onto his nipples, his mouth still wrapped around his cock.

"Oh Jesus Fuck God Rodney…" John came hard, bucking up off the bed as the world went fuzzy.

When John came to, Rodney was stretched out along his side, the two of them snuggled under the covers. Smirking, Rodney's eyebrow rose. "Better?"

"Ngh." John curled himself further into Rodney's body. "How was chocolate-covered Sheppard?"

"Not as good as the real thing—the chocolate that is. You were as tasty as usual."

"I'll buy you some of that seventy percent shit you can heat up and drizzle on me next time."

"I'll take you up on that offer," Rodney said with a smile and yawn. "Anything else on your agenda?"

Sighing, John started to push himself up. "I need to go clean everything up before I fall asleep. Otherwise it'll be a pain to deal with tomorrow."

"Oh. I thought you did that before."

"I cleaned you up, but I never got around to dealing with the toys." He really didn't want to leave the warm bed, but past experience told him waiting would just make the lube harden—and then it was a bitch to clean.

"And thank you for that. I don't remember much after coming."

"That was the idea. Now that I know I haven't broken you, making you pass out after coming is my new benchmark for whether or not I did a good job." Grinning, John stole a quick kiss.

"Hmm. I guess."

He started to get up, and the cold air hit him. You know what? Screw it. He could scrub the stuff in the morning. Reversing himself, John crawled back into Rodney's sphere of warmth. "I changed my mind. I'm tired and you're comfortable. I'll deal with the toys tomorrow."

Rodney chuckled. "Whatever you want, John."

"You, Rodney. Just you." He captured that crooked mouth again, savoring the taste of himself and fake chocolate.

Moaning into the kiss, Rodney wrapped his arms around John, the leather cuffs warm against his skin, his fingers digging into the muscles in John's back.

John rolled so he was on top of Rodney, pushing into him. They were both too tired to get hard again, but it felt good to feel the way their bodies fit together so perfectly.

Rodney sighed, humming as John settled in, tangling their legs together, cuffs rubbing against John's ankles.

John trailed his kisses down Rodney's neck, finally trailing them off as he rested his head against his shoulder. "Love you."

"Love you. Sorry I'm such an ass."

"S'ok. That's part of why I love you."

"I thought you loved me for my insatiable sexual appetite."

"That, too. Matches mine." John smiled against his skin.

"Do I even want to know what time it is? And is the ice cream melting in the foyer?"

"I put it in the freezer before I molested you. It was close, but I wasn't about to let it melt. No idea what time it is though. Bedtime."

Rodney purred, tightening his arms around John. "And you did a good job of that."

John raised his head to steal another kiss. "I'll do it again tomorrow, too."

"Certainly hope so."

"Night, Rodney."

"Hmmm….night," he said with a contented sigh, relaxing into the mattress falling asleep with the same abandon he gave to sex.

John followed him quickly, not knowing anything until his natural body clock woke him up again. Glancing over at the clock, he saw it was 0700—perfect time for a jog. He rolled off Rodney, getting only sleepy mutters. He dug out a pair of sweats, pulling them and some old, soft boxers on, followed by his sneakers.

Moving back to the bed, he shook Rodney awake a bit. "Hey. I'm going for a run. Need to pee, get up and move or anything?"

One bleary eye looked at him, hair tousled from sleep. "Hmm? What? No. What time is it?"

"Early. Go back to sleep. I'll get you up when I get back." He pulled Rodney's hands above his head, letting the straps out to their longest so Rodney could get comfortable and he could reach the bedside phone if he had to, but ensuring Rodney would be right here when John got back.

"What…you doing?"

"Giving myself something to fantasize about while I run. I won't be too long."

Rodney opened both eyes looking at John for a long moment as Sheppard locked the cuffs to the straps before closing his eyes again, shifting on the bed until he was comfortable.

Humming, John leaned in to kiss him one last time, then left, grabbing his cell on the way. He stopped at the concierge desk in the VIP lounge. "Hey, I'd like to get a mile or so jog in. Any suggestions on the best place to go?"

"You have a few options, sir," the man said, pulling out a map and showing John several routes.

Thanking him, John chose the closest one, settling into an easy pace. The route was actually about a mile and a half, and by the end he was just starting to feel the burn. He might do one of the longer ones tomorrow. Heading back in, John glanced at his watch as he wandered through the lobby, detouring to grab two cups of coffee from a kiosk.

A whistle broke through his morning musings, making him nearly spill the coffee on his hands as he turned, a gaggle of girls batting their eyes at him and looking on appreciatively.

Feeling himself flush down to his chest, and very much aware that shirtless they could see it, John momentarily thought a few of them looked familiar, but dismissed it as he quickly headed to the elevators.

"Nice nipples," one of them called out just before the elevators closed.

John felt himself turn even hotter. Mental note: don't jog topless in Vegas.

Returning to their room, he peeked into the bedroom, seeing Rodney was still asleep. He did some quick calculations in his head, realizing Scotland was about eight hours ahead—Carson should be up.

He dug out his cell phone and dialed his friend. When the familiar voice came on, he grinned into the phone. "Hey, Beckett! How's your Mum?"

"John? What are ye doin' callin' me? I thought ye were goin' on vacation. Is somethin' wrong? Has somethin' happened? I have'na gotten a call—"

"Hey! Slow down. Nothing's wrong. Rodney and I are in Vegas and he's a bit tied up right now. I was out jogging, so I thought I would give you a call—time difference being what it is, if I waited I would have disturbed your dinner. How's the visit going?"

"What the hell are ye goin' and tellin' me that kind of stuff? Are ye daft? And the visit's goin' well. Mum is doin' well."

"I know you yearn to hear the naughty details of my sex life, and I aim to please." John had to fight down a laugh. "Get a chance to play with the new toy yet?"

The doctor blustered and stuttered for a minute and John could imagine the flush the Scot had on his face. "Now I'm sure ye had some reason fer callin' instead of just antagonizing a man on his well-earned vacation."

John couldn't hold the laugh in any more. "What, that's prime entertainment. But yes, I did have a question for you. My tests all came back clear and healthy when you did them last time, right?"

"Aye. Yer fine. Why do you ask? Did somethin' happen?"

"I apparently did the same thing Rodney did to me back when we first started seeing each other. Guess I was out for a while, and he couldn't wake me up. I hadn't eaten all day, and it had been a long day, but when I started thinking about it, I thought maybe I should call and double-check. I don't actually look at my results anymore since I figure you would tell me if there was anything abnormal, but still, that was unusual for me."

"That does'na sound right," Carson said after a minute, his voice thoughtful, "but there's nae a thing I can do fer ye from here. Was it exactly like what Rodney experienced or somethin' similar?"

John leaned against the counter and sipped at his coffee. "I don't know, since I was on the other side. We had been playing, and I hadn't eaten all day—I sort of forgot to do that. I remember talking to Rodney after we climaxed, and thinking I could rest for a minute, and the next thing I knew he was calling me, in a panic, and had apparently been trying to wake me for a while. He was, ah, a bit tied up then too, so he couldn't actually move me, just call me."

"For the love of…okay. I don'na remember any of your recent tests indicatin' a problem, but has it occurred to ye that ye may have actually been relaxed for the first time in your life?"

"That I was… What?" He blinked a few times.

"John, yer career military and you're trained to wake in an instant. Could ye have actually finally been relaxed enough to…forget or ignore that training?"

Wow. "Um. Maybe? I hadn't actually thought of that. I grew up military, and my father believed in discipline at home—in a variety of ways…" He trailed off, trying to remember a time when he hadn't been on a hair trigger. "Maybe…"

"If ye want I'll run a check on ye when ye get to the Mountain. Otherwise, if it's still worryin' you and Rodney, go see a doctor in Vegas. I'm sure they have them there."

"Nah, I feel fine, and I'd rather wait. If it happens again I'll go see someone, otherwise, I'll assume your explanation was probably the right one for now. Thanks, Carson."

"Welcome. Now go back to Rodney and your vacation and stop callin' me. Enjoy yourselves," Carson said and John could hear the smile in his words.

"So I can't even call to tell you about how I plan to tie Rodney to—" He laughed as the Scot blustered loudly, drowning out his words.

"Go! Have fun and be careful. It isn't a game, John. I'll talk to ye in a week or so."

"I know. Have fun, and say hi to your Mum for me and Rodney. See you in a week or so." He hung up the phone, feeling a lot better, and a bit bemused. He hadn't wanted to worry Rodney, but he had never, in his life, not woken up when someone was calling his name—most of the time it didn't even take that.

He went to look out the window and finish his coffee, thinking about being relaxed and how it took an irritable scientist to finally get him there. Funny how the world worked sometimes.

***

It was odd, Rodney thought as he heard the front door to their suite close, he wasn't more concerned about the whole tied to the bed thing. When John had shaken him awake a few minutes ago he'd instantly thought something was wrong, but when he caught his lover's face he knew it was something else entirely.

And John had warned him about this after he'd gone wandering that first time he'd gone out for a run.

Granted, Rodney knew that this probably wasn’t the best thing to do—leave someone cuffed to a bed in case of a fire or something else—but he also trusted that John wouldn't be gone long.

Settling in, he drifted in and out of sleep, dozing as he waited for his lover to return—and when the "exercise" portion of the morning would begin for him. He was sore in a very good way, in a way that he was coming to expect. He liked waking up and knowing that John had fucked him, teased him, loved him very thoroughly the day before. It let him know that this was not a dream in any stretch of the imagination.

Yesterday, he knew, could have gone better—should have gone better—for John. But could Sheppard have been right? Could Rodney really not trust him?

But he did—trust him, that is... He really did. If he didn’t, he wouldn't have let this go this far, let the other man do what he did to him on a daily basis.

Apparently, he was missing something, a big something, and that only led to John's frustration at the whole situation—which was not his intention at all.

So, what was his issue? Tugging his bound hands toward his chest, he curled up on his side and sighed softly as he started to sort it out in his mind, put it in carefully delineated piles.

He trusted John when it came to sex. That was without question the biggest thing. The whole…dynamic worked very well for both of them and Rodney could only begin to imagine what creative ideas John could come up with to play with him. John got off on the play and making Rodney come and taking control of the whole…event. It was amazing to Rodney at what he could feel and experience by just letting go a little…or a lot. And then the toys…wow… The toys were just a small tease at the greater realm of possibility.

So, okay. Sex was good…great. No issues there.

Companionship. They were good together, just hanging out, talking. That he had no issues with. There were no really awkward conversations when they didn't know what to say or do. They really did enjoy each other's company—the sex notwithstanding—and they had a lot of the same interests when it came to entertainment.

Friends. They were friends. Check.

Then there was that whole…not married but wearing wedding bands thing. Relationship.

Gah. He hated that word.

And then if you threw in the collar, you could add the whole dom/sub thing and all the things that brought to the mix.

What he'd seen yesterday had disturbed him, although disturbed might actually be too strong a word. Worried. Concerned. John kept telling him that wasn't the kind of relationship he wanted with him, that it was more than just sex to him. He wanted more.

And that, it seemed, is where Rodney was having all the issues. As fiercely independent as he'd been—had to be—from an early age, the thought of someone just…taking care of him or controlling what he did on a daily basis…

But John insisted it wasn't what he wanted.

And Rodney wanted to believe him, but it was hard to just let that part of him go when he'd spent so long building it to where he was now. And what if something happened to John? What then? If he'd given everything to the other man, would he be able to stand on his own two feet again?

And honestly, this was the first time in his life that this…thing was more than just a convenient arrangement for sex. He really wanted to make John happy, to see him smile. He worried about him, about what he was doing, how he was doing, and just wanted to make sure that he was cared for.

Huh. Could that really be the crux of the matter? That John felt the same way, and Rodney kept pushing that concern to the side because he was scared of his own…issues, had his own insecurities when it came to relationships and the fact that he'd never had any and had been forced to rely entirely on himself for so long?

Maybe Rodney was just reacting badly to things he thought were wrong or too much just because it was still strange and new to be…loved like this, treated like a person instead of a piece of fucking furniture, to be replaced at the first chance it might be broken or not perform up to some kind of preconceived and not articulated standards.

The sound of the closing door broke him out of his musings and he heard the soft footfalls on the carpeted floor heading toward the bedroom. Rodney expected John to appear any minute, pouncing on the bed to wake him up, but instead he heard the man talking in the other room—on the phone to Carson apparently about yesterday and Rodney's little freak-out session.

Great. Just great.

After the call, John was quiet, staying in the living room for several minutes, silence thick in the suite. When he finally heard John once again, he shifted on the bed, opening his eyes to watch his lover walk in—semi-sweaty and half-naked.

"You called Carson?"

"Hey. I didn't realize you were awake. I brought you coffee."

"Been awake," he said, sitting up on the bed as John perched on the edge, "and coffee is a good thing. Thanks."

John leaned over and unhooked one of his hands, leaving the other tied to the headboard, and handed him the steaming cup. "Yeah, I called Carson. I had been meaning to check up on him, and after I passed out yesterday, I wanted to make sure all my last tests had come back clean, just to be sure. He thinks I just finally completely relaxed for the first time in my life. I'm still trying to wrap my head around that."

"That's good," Rodney said, inhaling the scent of his coffee before taking a long sip, the beverage not too hot or cold. "Mmmm…this is good."

"Got it from the restaurant downstairs." John flushed red. "I had an audience—remind me not to jog without pulling a shirt on first, okay?"

Rodney nearly choked on his coffee as his eyes went wide. "You went jogging like that?"

"Um, yeah. I didn't think I needed anything else. I was just jogging."

Rodney sighed. "Do you not realize that you like that is like….pure sex?"

John slowly turned red, and Rodney watched with fascination as it spread down his chest. "I'm in old sweats and I'm sweaty. That's not attractive at all."

"Um…yes you are. Trust me on that."

John took the cup of coffee from him carefully, setting it aside on the table, then he climbed up Rodney's body and kissed him sweetly. "As long as you're happy with me."

"Why? Did you do something I won't be happy with?"

"I don't think so. I'm just glad you think I'm sexy—you're the only one I care about."

"But I have no intention of sharing you with anyone else," Rodney said, wrapping his arms around John, the strap keeping his one hand from encircling the other man completely.

"And I'm perfectly okay with that." John nuzzled his neck. "What do you want to see today?"

"You naked. Does that count?"

"That's a given." John grinned up at him. "But what else? We'll need to grab breakfast soon I'm sure, and we have show tickets for tonight. But that leaves a whole chunk of day open."

Rodney shrugged. "The last time I was here, I spent all of my time in the Hilton at a physics conference and the stupid Star Trek Experience ride was down for repair—all week. You're the expert. What are our options?"

"You've never actually done the Star Trek thing? We should put that on the agenda then. All true geeks are required to go there at least once in their lives. Otherwise they might revoke your membership."

"I think that was the problem last time. Too many geeks in residence. Although, at thirty bucks a pop, they would have made a ton of money in a week—and had the die-hards complaining loudly in the lobby, I'm sure."

He felt John's laughter as the other man pressed closer to him. "I can't even imagine you at a geek convention. You probably had them in tears. I would have paid money and brought popcorn to see it."

"They're all idiots," Rodney said with a sigh. "Any snack items around? Before we start…exercising…a little something might be good. Nuts or anything?"

"Other than the ice cream, I'm not sure. Lemme go check." John peeled himself off Rodney, handing the coffee back over before he disappeared through the bedroom door. Rodney could hear him rooting around in the cabinets.

A few moment later, John came back bearing a bag of trail mix and a smile. "That's perfect," Rodney said, reaching his one free hand out to grab it.

John held on to it, however, climbing back in bed with Rodney. He opened the bag and pulled out a cashew, holding it up to Rodney's lips.

"Oh for crying out loud," Rodney complained, rolling his eyes. "This would go a lot faster if I actually fed myself."

John trailed the nut over Rodney's lips. "I know. But I like doing this. We don't have the time for it generally, but since we have no where to be..."

Leaning forward, Rodney caught the nut with his lips, nipping on John's fingers before he pulled back, offering a light smile. "You have anything else in mind?"

John wiggled around a bit, so he was leaning against Rodney, his head resting against Rodney's chest. He picked out a piece of dried banana next, holding it up. "Well, I'll give you enough to ensure you don't crash before breakfast, then I'll turn you giddy and drunk with pleasure, then we eat, then we go exploring. I haven't decided yet whether you'll wear a toy out all day."

"It's certainly an…interesting plan," Rodney said, chewing the dried fruit and nuts as John fed him—one at a time. "I'm guessing you had something in mind."

"Maybe."

Rodney lifted an eyebrow. "Maybe? What is maybe supposed to mean? You have a figment of an idea?"

"It means you have to wait and see."

His mouth twisted in a smile. "Okay."

John fed him about half the bag and let him finish his coffee before he got back up, throwing away the empty cup and stowing the trail mix away. He leaned against the dresser and gave Rodney a speculative look.

"Oh no. It's that look," Rodney commented, leaning back against the pillows, arms crossed carefully over his chest. His nipples were still sore from the clamps last night.

"That look? What's that supposed to mean?" John leered a little.

"That…that look just before you start ravishing. Can I pee first while you decide what you want to do?"

"I have a look?" John was grinning, but he came around and unlocked the second strap from Rodney's hand, freeing him.

"You have a look," Rodney confirmed, climbing from the bed and padding into the bathroom. He heard John rattling around in the bedroom, apparently making some kind of decision.

While he had been gone, John had stripped back out of his sweat pants, and was stretched out along the bed. He was idly flicking the rings in his own nipples, and his cock was slowly getting hard.

Rodney paused in the door, his eyes drinking in his lover. "God…you're perfect."

"Mmmm, be even more perfect if it was you doing this."

"No," Rodney said, shaking his head, swallowing hard. "You are…you're like one of those ancient Greek or Roman statues."

John turned his head to look at Rodney, and his eyes were already starting to dilate with pleasure. "I'm yours."

"And I don't know how or why."

"Love is like that," John said softly, holding out one hand to Rodney. "Come here."

McKay moved toward John, catching his hand and letting John tug him into the bed, arranging him on his back in the middle. Rodney smiled up at John as he leaned over him, Sheppard's hand resting on his jaw, fingers tracing the skin to the side of his mouth.

John pushed a finger against Rodney's mouth, then inside, slowly drawing it in and out a few times. He then took it out and pulled it down Rodney's chest, circling his nipple and leaving a wet trail.

Moaning lightly at the sensation, nipples aching as they hardened into points. Rodney shifted, turning slightly in toward John, but Sheppard's hand gently held him, moving him to lie on his back again.

John's tongue followed the same path as his finger, diving briefly into Rodney's mouth and then meandering down his chest, this time moving to the other nipple. After he got it wet, John pulled back and blew on both aching nubs.

Rodney shivered, the sensation going right to his groin, pooling there as his erection grew.

John smiled and kissed him again briefly, before sucking a nipple into his mouth and attacking it in earnest. Both his lover's hands held Rodney down, preventing him from arching up or pulling away.

With his nipples already aching and sore from the night before, Rodney swore that John's ministrations would kill him for sure. He moaned and whimpered, the endorphins rushing through his body giving him an odd high. His cock was an angry red, leaking with pre-come, and very hard.

John glanced down and kissed the tip of his cock when he pulled up briefly to switch nipples. "Don't come yet. I want to taste you when you do, and I'm not ready yet."

"Oh god…John…please…" Rodney begged, not sure he could take any more.

"Not yet. I haven't had a chance to swallow you as you come in a while, and I plan to rectify that this morning." John moved one hand to Rodney's face, caressesing him and giving him something to focus on to hold back the orgasm a little longer.

"It hurts," Rodney whispered, his hand reaching out for a handhold and finding John's hip.

John continued the caresses for a moment along his jaw, staying away from Rodney's nipples for a moment. "I know it does, but just take it a little longer, and then I'll leave them alone and you can come. It will feel good if you let go and trust me, I promise."

Panting, Rodney held John's gaze for a long moment, wanting to do this for his lover. Taking a breath, he nodded, already tensing since he knew what was coming.

John kissed him again and then moved back to Rodney's nipples, taking the one he hadn't played with yet into his mouth. John sucked and licked the abused nub for several minutes before pulling off, kissing each one lightly. "So good, Rodney. God you're fucking amazing..." He mouthed his way down Rodney's stomach and took the weeping erection in, after a murmured order to come whenever he wanted.

With John's mouth surrounding him, his tongue doing wicked things to the tip of his cock, Rodney held on, wanting to feel more of John around him. But between the sensations in his nipples and the things John was doing to him, Rodney found himself shuddering through an orgasm, holding into the sheets as he rode it until the end.

John pulled off completely when Rodney started to whimper from overload. He pressed himself along Rodney's side and drew random patterns in his chest hair—avoiding his nipples completely—until he came back to himself.

"You look like a cat after it's been fed catnip—all boneless and sated."

Rodney huffed, hand moving to rest on John's arm. "We're only half-way done, though."

"I wanted to let you catch your breath." John leaned further in, and Rodney could feel the very hard, very hot dick pressing against his leg.

"Hmm…consider it caught."

John rolled to his back, tugging Rodney along with him. "Do to me what I was doing earlier, while you were in the bathroom."

"Huh?" Everything longer than about a minute ago was a little blurry.

Purring a little, John grinned. "I love shorting out your brain like that. Play with my nipples, with the rings. Tease them. I want to come, but I want it to last for a little while."

"Oh…I can do that," Rodney said with a smile, sliding down John's body so he was even with Sheppard's nipples. Staring at them for a moment, admiring the way the silver contrasted with the skin, before he leaned forward, circling around one with his tongue, not quite touching. He teased both of them that way for a while before finally latching onto a nipple, tonguing and licking the nub and ring.

John, for once, was silent, panting and arching a little into Rodney, hips thrusting up involuntarily every now and then. His hands had curled into the sheets, and out of the corner of his eyes, Rodney could see them clenching and unclenching. John was so hard it had to be painful, and his head had dropped back as far as it could.

"You okay?" he asked quietly, pulling back a little.

A whine escaped John's throat. "Feels so good."

"How much more do you want?"

John swallowed hard, and Rodney could tell he was struggling to bring his brain back online to some semblance of coherency. "I...t..touch me. Suck me. Make it...want to drag it out, last forever..."

"Forever is a long time, but I'll do my best," Rodney said with a smile, pressing a kiss to the center of John's chest before starting again on his nipples, working carefully, gently, trying to bring him to the edge and hold him there. His hands stroked John's sides, venturing down to the tops of his thighs, offering another sensation as well.

John groaned and whimpered, his whole body shuddering with need, but he was somehow holding it back, making it last.

Backing off again, Rodney waited, letting the other man come down. "Did you want me to blow you or did you want to fuck me?"

John moaned, almost sobbing as he once again tried to follow what Rodney was saying, to respond appropriately. "S..suck. Won't l..last long enough to f..fuck you."

Taking pity on him, Rodney nodded, already moving down his body, positioning himself just over John's cock. He kissed the top and then licked a wide stripe up the underside before swallowing him down. He worked quickly, bringing John back to the edge with ease, his hands rubbing patterns on the other man's stomach and sides.

With an almost scream, John was coming hard down Rodney's throat, his whole body clenching and releasing.

Rodney swallowed, holding John in his mouth until he softened. Pulling off, Rodney licked and kissed him until he was sure he'd gotten every last ounce of come. Moving up John's body, he wrapped himself around him, pressing a leg between John's.

His lover's eyes were closed, his breathing stuttered, and his body limp. He made a small noise as Rodney settled, and flopped a hand to rest on his back, but otherwise didn't move.

Chuckling, Rodney settled in, his own eyes drifting closed.

"Breakfast." John sounded completely relaxed.

"No rush."

"I think I'm hungry."

"You fed me trail mix and coffee before. I'm good for a bit."

"I just had coffee. But I can wait. Shower I think."

"Yes. A shower might be a good option," Rodney said after a minute, punctuating it with a sigh.

John cracked open an eye, his other hand coming up to pull Rodney closer. "What was the sigh for?"

"Showering actually requires effort, the movement from here to there."

"Ah, but it has its own rewards. Wet soapy bodies, lots of touching, and afterwards, a few toys to start the day right."

"You've made up your mind, have you?"

"Mmmm. I was thinking the plug, the bigger one so you'll know it's there, and one of the chastity devices, the discreet one. I'd like to make sure it's not uncomfortable if you wear it for a while, so if we try it now, I can take it off if necessary since we're together."

"For what? Today? All day?"

"For the day, yes. We'll have to come back here to change before the show tonight, so I plan to molest you then—can't do that if I leave it on for the evening, too."

Rodney was silent for a moment, thinking of what John had told him and his own eagerness to try something different, a little more daring. With John looking at him expectantly, Rodney leaned down, pressing his lips to John's in a kiss, hoping that was answer enough.

John hummed into his mouth, rolling them so he was on top, pressed down into Rodney. "Let's go shower."

"Mmm," Rodney replied, the best he could do with John still devouring his mouth.

Nipping at Rodney's lower lip, John pulled off slowly. His eyes were soft and affectionate as he looked down at Rodney for a moment, before rolling off and tugging Rodney with him.

McKay opened his mouth to comment, but John quickly shushed him with a kiss.

"Just let me take care of you." Keeping their hands together, John pulled him into the bathroom.

Nodding, Rodney let John settle him on a towel on the marble ledge of the tub before Sheppard turned to the large shower, quickly setting the temperature and letting it run to warm up the shower enclosure.

John was humming to himself as he got everything ready, then returned to collect Rodney, quickly removing the four cuffs on his wrists and ankles. Once they were in the shower and wet, he ran his hands all over Rodney's body, caressing, touching, relaxing. Only when Rodney was a puddle of goo leaning against the wall did John go for the washcloth, adding soap and a little friction to his ministrations.

Humming, Rodney closed his eyes, concentrating on what John was doing—his lover's hands against his skin, the rough surface of the washcloth.

John took his time, washing every part of Rodney, chasing the suds with light kisses, occasional flicks of tongue.

With every kiss, lick of his tongue, and swipe of John's hands, Rodney felt himself start to harden once again, his hands instinctively moving to rest on John's hips or whatever piece of skin he could reach.

John stood and grabbed something off the shower shelf—two cuffs, the ones with the suction cups. He slipped them on Rodney's wrists and then pushed his hands above his head, attaching them to the wall. "I think I should send a fruit basket to whoever thought of bondage toys for the shower."

Tugging at them, Rodney moaned as he met John's gaze, feeling his arousal grow. "You can do that later," he growled.

John stepped in and kissed him, keeping it lazy and teasing, pulling back every time Rodney tried to deepen it at all, clever fingers continuing to find sensitive spots all over his body.

Whimpering, Rodney found himself spinning higher, trembling as John played with him, played him perfectly, pulling all kinds of sounds from him, all of them encouraging John to continue.

One finger finally found Rodney's aching dick, which had thus far been ignored. John traced patterns on the head and down along the length of him, just hard enough for Rodney to know what he was doing.

Tugging at his arms—wanting to touch John, to feel him under his hands—Rodney whimpered, his head thumping back against the wall as John's other hand found a nipple, rubbing the overly sensitive nub lightly.

John kissed his way down Rodney's neck to the spot on his collarbone where the usual bruise was almost faded. Scraping it lightly with his teeth first, John set about renewing the mark, creating a new, purple claim on Rodney's body.

Tilting his head to the side, he shifted against John, rubbing their bodies together, their hard cocks sliding against each other, the sensation making them both moan.

John shifted so he could take both of them in hand, setting up a rhythm, rubbing them off together. "Come for me," he panted into Rodney's skin.

With a growl, Rodney obeyed, panting into John's wet skin as his body shuddered, the water washing the come away.

John followed him right over the edge, trembling as he spilled hot between them before it, too, was washed away. "I wonder how many times I could get you to come in a single day. Maybe we'll spend a whole day in bed and I'll experiment."

"You might injure me permanently then," Rodney whispered as his heart slowed from its frantic beating.

"We could set a Guinness record for the most orgasms in a twenty-four-hour period."

"I don't need a record. Just you."

Purring, John licked his way into Rodney's mouth for a minute. "We need to get out of here before we turn pruney."

Rodney took a deep breath, feeling very relax and sated. Two orgasms in one morning was a nice way to wake up. "Sure."

John turned off the water, then stepped out of the shower, reappearing a second later with a clean towel. With Rodney still attached to the wall, he carefully stripped all the water away from his skin. "I'll be right back.

"John?"

"One sec!" John's voice drifted in from the bedroom, and a minute later he reappeared, the clear chastity casing in hand—the one that would slip directly over his dick and keep him confined all day. "I want to put this on you now. This is your last chance to say no. Once it's on, unless it's actually hurting you, I won't take it off until I'm ready to play with you again. It's okay if you aren't ready for this, but you need to tell me now."

Rodney didn't hesitate. "I want to try it."

John's smile was almost blinding. He attached the device, using a tiny padlock to secure it in place.

It held him comfortably, the rings snug, but not too tight, but the very thought of him like this all day without the ability to even throw a boner…God, he was getting aroused just thinking about it, but the device worked perfectly, his cock remaining securely within the chastity device. He moaned, hands clenching above his head.

John had stepped back, his eyes dark and appreciative. "God, you're amazing. But we aren't done accessorizing you yet." He leaned out of the shower and grabbed something he had left there—the larger version of the plug he had used the first day, along with the lube. He reached up to release the suction on one of Rodney's hands, nudging at him to turn enough to give John access to his ass.

Instead of turning immediately, Rodney managed to grab John's neck tugging him forward abruptly. Sheppard caught himself so he didn't fall into Rodney, but it was close enough that McKay could capture his mouth with his own, his hand holding John in place.

John opened his mouth and let Rodney inside, letting him control the pace for a moment.

Moaning as his body responded, Rodney finally backed off, panting, his cheek pressed against John's.

"This might not be a good idea with you wearing that. Knowing you can't come or get hard until I take it off is unbelievably hot, but I'm not sadistic enough to want to turn you on deliberately with it." John rubbed his stubbly cheek against Rodney's.

"I just…can you give me a minute or two?"

John detached one hand to release the second suction cup and then helped Rodney out of the shower, to sit back on the side of the tub. He sat next to him, one hand resting on his back. "Take however long you need."

Leaning into John, he let his lover's touch and the feel of his body ground him. He'd never felt this… Excited didn't quite describe it. God, he wanted to do this so much—for himself, for John—he could almost taste it.

After a few minutes, John drew him to his feet, walking them across the bathroom and into the bedroom, lying Rodney down on his stomach on the bed, his hand rubbing a careful and gentle circle on the small of his back.

"At least we know the idea turns you on as much as it does me."

"Oh yeah," Rodney said, nodding.

John's other hand came to rest on Rodney's ass, a finger resting against his entrance. "Ready for the rest of it?"

"Yes. Please."

He heard the lube bottle open, and a moment later, a blunt object was being pushed into him. He was still loose enough that it went in with only a momentary burn and then he felt himself close around it, holding it in place inside his body. "You have no idea how incredibly hot it is to see your ass decorated like this. Before you get dressed, you need to look in a mirror."

Panting into the bed, Rodney nodded after a minute as he tried to ease himself back down. This was larger than what he'd had in the other day and would take a little getting used to, but he would look. He'd never seen himself from that angle.

John had gone back to rubbing circles on his back again. "How are you doing," he asked after a few minutes.

"I'm not sure if walking will be in my immediate future," Rodney answered honestly. "God…feel full and…held…it's so strange…I really want to try though."

"Just stay here and take your time to adjust. I'm going to go get dressed, but I'll be right here, okay? I want to see if I can find a few mirrors, too."

"Can you grab me some clothes?"

"Yes. I'll pull your stuff out for you. For the moment, though, just stay there. Once you start to move, you'll probably have to adjust again—with the bigger plug, you aren't going to forget it's there."

"No, no forgetting it," Rodney said, rolling on to his side so he could watch John get dressed. The plug was warming to his body, his muscles adjusting around it.

John pulled on his clothing with his usual, almost elegant grace. There was no mistaking he was a pilot most of the time by the way he held himself and moved his body. Rodney just admired him, while John was completely oblivious to it. He disappeared into the bathroom again, and Rodney heard him muttering. When he came back out, he had a big mirror, and a smaller one. "Hah! Found some. You have to see how hot this looks."

"I'll get up in a minute. If we plan to be out all day, walking is an important part of the whole process."

"You can see it from there. Stay on your side." John handed him the smaller mirror, then crawled behind him, positioning the larger so Rodney could use the first to catch the reflection of the little—well, mid-sized—crystal decorating his ass.

"Wow," Rodney said after a minute, rolling on his back so he could look up at John.

His eyes immediately went to the clear plastic encasing Rodney's cock. John let out a quiet moan. "God, you're like every fantasy I've ever had, all rolled into one amazing package."

"And it's you who did the wrapping this time," Rodney said with a smile.

"Mmmm, unwrapping you tonight will be better than Christmas."

"Christmas is over-rated."

"We can make our own holiday. Sexmas. Fuckmas. WorshipMcKay'sAssmas."

Rodney groaned. "Okay. You are not allowed to name anything either."

John grinned that dopey smile, and leaned forward to plant a wet, sloppy kiss on Rodney's stomach. "All right, see if you're going to be able to walk today so we can go get breakfast."

"Probably a good idea," Rodney said, sitting up on the bed. He felt the plug shift, but nothing hurt—which was a very good sign. John helped him slide to the edge and pulled him to this feet. "Okay…" Rodney muttered as John backed up, making him walk forward, the plug shifting inside him.

When he got close enough, John put a finger under his chin and tiled Rodney's head so he was looking up at his lover. "If it's too uncomfortable, tell me. The chastity device stays on, but we can take out the plug."

"I just want to make sure I can walk without looking like I have a rod up my ass," Rodney said, already getting used to the sensation.

"It's shaped to let you walk normally once you get used to it. I'm more concerned about it arousing you enough to make the chastity painful."

Rodney considered his situation and the feelings for a moment before nodding. "I think I'll be okay."

"Love you." John said, before leaning in to kiss him deeply.

Once John backed off, Rodney smiled. "Love you. I need to get dressed soon, though."

"Your stuff is on the dresser. I pulled out a pair of your khakis since they fit a little looser."

"Thanks," Rodney said as John released his hands and he moved toward the bed, already feeling more confident about lasting the day like this. He paused when he reached the dresser, turning to John. "I…I really like this idea of yours."

John's gaze was fixed firmly on first his ass—Rodney caught him staring as he turned around—then his dick. At Rodney's words, however, his eyes moved up, warm and affectionate as a smile spread across his face. "I will do my best to keep having new ideas with which to pleasure you."

Rodney smiled. "Good. And you might want to look your fill now since I need to get dressed."

"I'll know they're there. It'll hold me over until this afternoon." He continued to watch as Rodney pulled on his clothes, only coming over when he was putting on his second shoe. "What do you want for breakfast?"

"Food."

John shook his head and laughed again. "Care to be more specific?"

This time Rodney let his mouth twitch up into a smirk. "Breakfast food."

"And here I was thinking enchiladas. Guess I'll have to cancel the reservations at the Mexican joint."

"Yeah. Not looking forward to a morning burrito. Wouldn't go very well with the plug," Rodney said, finally standing as he straightened his shirt, tugging it into place.

Chuckling, John started to follow him out of the bedroom and then stopped. "Hang on a second."

"What?" Rodney asked, glancing over his shoulder, watching as John went back to rummage in the top pocket of his luggage.

Coming back, he had a small ring of keys. "I'm going to take the lock off the necklace—with that shirt it's pretty obvious. I don't want you to take it off though."

"Okay," Rodney said, nodding as he turned, giving John the access he needed. When Sheppard was done, Rodney turned back to him, offering a smile and a press of lips. "I want this, John."

"You have it. Always."

"No," Rodney said with a shake of his head. "You're not following." John had answered too quickly, too easily. "This. What we're doing now, what other things we might do. I want this."

John captured his mouth in a searing kiss. When he pulled back, there was so much love in his expression that Rodney had to draw in a shaky breath. "What do you say we go hit the buffet?"

"Sounds good."

Breakfast was uneventful—which was a good thing, even though Rodney swore people knew what he was wearing under his clothes. But, unless they had a camera in their suite, there was no way to tell. Rodney had looked, double-checking before they'd left, getting John's rolled eyes and a smile in response.

They wandered through the shops at Caesar's Palace before heading over to the Las Vegas Hilton. And by the time John molested him in the middle of the afternoon, pressed up against the car in the parking lot after going on the Star Trek ride—and nitpicking it for more than an hour as they weaved through the souvenir shops and grabbed a quick bite at Quarks—Rodney had long since gotten used to the sensation of the chastity device and the plug.

Using his body to block what he was doing, John reached around and felt through Rodney's pants for the plug, wiggling it slightly as he kissed him.

Moaning into the kiss, Rodney wrapped his arms around John, the fact that there was no way for him to get an erection wasn’t driving him as crazy as he originally thought it would. When John was ready, it would come off and Rodney knew the sex would be amazing.

He could wait.

Pulling back John grinned at him. "Let's head back to the hotel. We'll want to have dinner around 1700, and the show is at 1930—we'll need some time to get ready."

"Okay," Rodney said with a knowing smile. 'Time to get ready' had to be John's secret phrase that meant 'have hot sex before dinner'.

With a last tiny push against the plug, John released him and went around to the driver's side of the car. Once they were both in and heading back, John reached over and put a hand on Rodney's thigh, sliding it between his legs. "So I was thinking. You in the X-brace, on the floor, while I fuck your mouth, chastity device still on. Then, when I recover, I move you to the bed and strap you down, take off the device and fuck you with the vibrator, nice and slow, until I get hard again, at which point you get to come with me inside you."

Yes, he'd figured out John's code. It certainly helped to be a genius, but John certainly had to come from the creative side of the gene pool.

Turning to John, Rodney reached across the car, holding the back of John's head in his hand, his fingers trailing through the hairs on his neck. He leaned forward, letting John's hand slide toward his trapped cock, letting him feel the plastic holding him. "I think you probably need to drive us back to the hotel."

His lover arched a bit into his touch, purring as he caressed Rodney's groin. "On our way now. We'll be there in about five minutes."

"I thought so," Rodney smirked.

"You know, it's a bit unfair that I'm going to have to walk through the hotel hard as a rock, and you don't have to worry about that particular problem at the moment."

"You were the one who started molesting me in the parking lot. We were doing fine until then."

"No, I've been half-hard pretty much all day thinking about you and what I want to do to you."

"Half-hard is different than rock hard, don't you say?"

"Leaking. I'm going to have a wet spot."

"And you made me come in my pants the other night. I think we're even."

"We were alone, and it was hot. And you've made me come in my pants before. On my knees as I recall, with your fingers in my mouth."

"And? It was a good look for you."

"Debauched and sticky is a look?" John shot him a quick grin before putting his eyes back on the road.

"More like entirely post-coital."

"You get that all the time without wet pants factoring into the equation."

"You like me naked."

"Naked works for you. I'd say you should just foreswear clothes altogether, but I would have to kill everyone who looked at you, so it's probably not a good idea."

"Probably not."

"So I'll just have to settle for keeping you naked when we're alone."

"It'll save on laundry."

"Not if you're going to be doing your best to make me come in my pants as often as possible. Which is hotter than it probably should be, but still, hard on the fabric."

Rodney chuckled as they pulled up to a traffic light. "Maybe I should rephrase that statement," he said, moving John's hand from where it was resting on his thigh to his groin, pressing it against the plastic encasing his cock. "It'll save on my laundry."

John's breath hitched, and he shifted in his seat with a soft moan. "I am not coming in a car this nice. To ruin the material would be a crime against nature—at the very least if we're going to get come on the car, I'm going to be fucking you when I do it."

"I'm sure you can arrange that."

His lover shifted with another low moan. "Now, see, you've just gone and sparked about ten fantasies about how I can take you in this thing."

"Only ten?" he commented as the light finally changed and John raced through the intersection, pulling into the hotel parking lot a few seconds later.

"If you can come up with something, I'm willing to try it." John tossed the keys to the valet and started to almost drag Rodney through the lobby.

Chuckling, Rodney shook his head, looking over his shoulder when he heard a commotion near the slot machines—girls from the sound of it—but John tugged him away before he could get a better look.

As soon as they were in the elevator, John shoved him against the wall and claimed his mouth, tongue diving in deep.

Rodney wrapped his arms around John, letting him take what he wanted.

When the doors opened on their floor, John walked backwards, pulling Rodney with him, barely looking up from the kiss long enough to maneuver them to their door. He fumbled with the key for a moment and then handed it to Rodney while he went to work nibbling a convenient patch of skin.

Humming in encouragement, it took Rodney two tries to get the door open—it wasn't easy trying to work around a very determined and aroused lover. But as soon as John heard the click of the door unlocking, he moved again, tugging Rodney through.

He managed to get them both into the bedroom without tripping over anything. With a light bite to Rodney's neck, John finally let him go with a growl. "Get your clothes off. Now."

"Yes, sir," Rodney said, stepping back, beginning to shed.

"Oh, fuck." John had closed his eyes and was visibly trying to get hold of himself. Rodney had done that. Had aroused John to the point where he was having a hard time controlling his body.

"Problem?" Rodney asked, pulling down his pants and boxers, making sure John got a nice view.

John had reached down and was pushing the heel of his hand against his groin as he panted a little. "Think unsexy thoughts. Think unsexy thoughts..."

Stepping out of his pants, finally naked, except for the items John had placed on his body, Rodney walked to John, pausing a few feet in front of him. Watching the other man try and get control, he had a slightly evil thought. Dropping to his knees, he spread his legs open just a bit and sat back on his heels, putting his hands behind his back.

"Oh... Rodney...fuck..." John fumbled to get his pants open with one hand, the other still trying to hold off his orgasm. He groaned in frustration as his normally nimble fingers seemed to have lost all dexterity.

"I thought that was what you were going to do to me, sir."

With a feeble moan, John's body twitched, and he fell to his knees, a damp spot spreading across his jeans.

Rodney leaned forward toward his panting lover. "Another pair of pants bites the dust, eh, Major?"

John twitched again, falling forward into Rodney. "You are an evil, evil man and it is so fucking hot it hurts."

"I'm just the product of my environment."

"Get these clothes off me while I lie here and recover. We don't want chafing, do we?" It was almost a whine.

"Of course, sir," Rodney said, arranging John on the floor, and taking a few minutes to tug off his clothes.

At the sir, John had twitched again half-heartedly. "I really want to fuck you, but I'm going to need some time to get it up again."

Rodney chuckled again, levering himself down to lay next to John on the floor, one arm thrown over his lover's waist. "No rush. Not like we have to go to dinner or a show or anything."

"Nothing like piling on the pressure. You're just lucky I don't suffer from performance anxiety," John turned a little so he could pull Rodney closer, nuzzling skin. "Have I told you how good you smell today? "

"No, not yet," Rodney said with a hum. What was it about John's touch that was so addicting?

"Then consider it said. I think you're secretly washing with some sort of chemical designed to drive me absolutely insane every time I smell it." John leveraged himself up, burying his face in Rodney's neck. "God, it's like I can never get enough,"

"Likewise." John continued to nibble, lick, and kiss the skin along Rodney's neck and shoulder for several minutes, his hands roaming freely over skin. "So…what do you think we take this to the bed," he finally suggested.

"Mmm….good suggestion." John climbed up, pulling Rodney along with him, the ankle and wrist cuffs immediately getting locked into place, Once they were in bed, he spread Rodney's legs wide, positioning his legs flat on the bed, pillow under his ass, and strapping them in place, in the same position he had been in the other day, John apparently liked this look. "I want to feel you touch me for a few minutes, so I'm not tying your arms down—yet."

"I can do that," Rodney said as John moved once again, covering Rodney's body with his own, lips descending to meet Rodney's. With John pressing him into the bed, McKay used his position to the fullest advantage, running his hands along Sheppard's back, feeling the muscles under the skin as the other man moved.

John captured his mouth, licking his way inside for a while before moving down his body. He flicked each of Rodney's nipples with his tongue, lightly and then mouthed the plastic still encasing him. "As pretty as this is, it probably needs to come off before we go much further."

"Probably," Rodney agreed. "But only when you're ready."

John sat up and leaned halfway off the bed, digging for the keys in the nightstand drawer. "I'm ready to see you hard and leaking for me. How fast can you get to that point once I take it off?"

"I…I don't know. I've never done this before" Rodney said honestly as John moved back to him, key-ring in hand. "But knowing you, it won't take long."

"Eventually, I'd like to get you to the point where you get hard immediately, as soon as I take the chastity device off. For now, let's get the poor thing out and give it a little attention." John unlocked the device, pulling it off carefully.

After the warmth inside the device, the air hitting Rodney's cock made him shiver. The temperature contrast and the knowledge of what was to come immediately started to make him hard. "It seems like it won't take much," he commented with a smile as John carefully ran his fingers along the inside of Rodney's thighs.

John leaned down to kiss his growing erection, blowing on the tip lightly as he smiled up at Rodney. "You have a very pretty dick. So responsive and so willing to let me do whatever I want to it."

"Just like its owner," Rodney said with a moan, only to be corrected by John's tolerant and amused comment.

"Well, I wouldn't call you pretty. More like handsome, sexy, hot… But if you want to go with pretty, I can work with it."

"No, I…oh…" Rodney broke off as John licked the tip of his cock, taking a few seconds to regain his train of thought. "I was…ah…actually referring to the whole letting you have your way…thing."

John moved up to kiss him again, fingers lightly caressing his dick until it was doing exactly what John had wanted it to—start leaking. "That's one of the reasons we make such great partners. I like having my wicked way with you in bed, and you like letting me. You're perfect, Rodney. I know I don't always make you feel that way, not when I start taking control of things, but you are—perfect."

"I think it might be long past time for you to start having your wicked way, don't you think?" Rodney's hands resting on John's ass, his fingers tracing patterns into his skin.

"I thought that's what I was doing." John's hand left his erection and moved down, fingering the plug a bit. "You mean you want me to fuck you? You want to feel me inside you, filling you, claiming you? You want me to find the sweet spot that makes you sob with need, knowing you can't, won't come until I tell you to?"

"I want you, John, and I don't care how."

His lover kissed him again, one hand roaming freely over Rodney's body while the other teased at the plug.

Moaning into the kiss and the sensation of John playing with his body, Rodney relaxed into the mattress, running one hand along John's back while the other threaded its way through his hair. He could do this for hours—making each other feel good.

It was odd in a way, too. As much as he wanted to come, it wasn't as urgent as it used to be. As long as John was happy, he was strangely okay with whatever the other man gave him—whatever it was, even if it meant he wasn't going to get immediate release.

Before it had all been about what he wanted, about when he could get off. But now, months later, Rodney vaguely realized that he hadn't touched himself in that way since him and John had started this whole…affair.

Without breaking the kiss, John suddenly pulled the plug out, swiftly, leaving Rodney empty and oddly cool down there. He hadn't realized how much heat the metal had been retaining.

Moaning his lover's name, Rodney tried to shift his feet, but the bonds held him in place. John shushed him with a light kiss.

Several slick fingers were pushed inside him, giving him the sensations he needed, grounding him. He hadn't even realized John had gotten the lube out earlier. He was steadily, slowly brought higher and higher, although John was being careful not to let him fall over the edge, murmuring soft words about how beautiful and amazing Rodney was between kisses,

"More…" Rodney breathed, wanting everything John could give him, wanting to let go for a little while and just simply exist.

"One of these days I'll remember to put the chest harness on you before we get started, Then I can completely tie you down, so you won't even be able to arch or squirm. You'll just have to let go and let me love you."

"Oh god…please," Rodney said, opening his eyes to meet John's gaze. He knew he was falling and wanted to go down deeper.

John hummed, sliding off the bed and retrieving the harness. "Sit up for me for a second."

It took Rodney a moment to obey, letting John's hands help to ease him upright, before allowing him to pull the leather into place, buckling it down, making sure it wasn’t too tight against his skin. As John secured the last buckle, Rodney took a deep breath, letting it out slowly, his body going a little limp against John as he hummed low in his throat.

"Like this, hmm?" John petted him for a moment before easing him back down to the bed, securing Rodney's arms above his head, then attaching straps to the D-rings on the harness. When John was done, Rodney was firmly held in place, unable to move even a little, John's hands rubbing his chest as he adjusted.

Rodney eyes had closed once again, but nodded in response to John's question, his vocabulary slowly sliding away.  But he wasn't there yet. "More…John…please."

"Trust me. I'll get you there." John's warmth disappeared for a moment, and when it returned, each of his nipples was suddenly being squeezed lightly. Opening his eyes slightly, Rodney saw the clamps from the other night now adorning them, for now providing a barely-there pressure on their lowest setting.

He moaned feeling his mind and body reacting—pushing him further down—John's hands running over skin, grounding him to the physical, to John, and this exact moment in time.

Pressure surrounded the base of his cock—John must have just put a ring on, to ensure Rodney didn't end things too soon. A blunt pressure pushed itself against his entrance—it wasn't warm and giving like John's cock, so Rodney knew it was a toy of some sort. When it started to vibrate as soon as it was seated fully inside him, Rodney knew what it was.

Moaning in pleasure, the sensations slowly overtaking him, Rodney felt himself letting go. No longer bound by his own insecurities and habits, Rodney just reacted. He could hear the sounds of pleasure in the air—loud and deep and rich.

John played with him for what felt like a long time. Occasionally pulling the dildo out a little and pushing it back in, tightening the clamps by small amounts, then loosening them again, hands roaming and touching and worshipping Rodney's body.

Lost in the pleasure of the moment, he was surprised when he felt the vibrations stop, the dildo replaced by something much larger and warmer, stretching him in a familiar way. With John's cock buried inside him, Rodney felt his lover drape across his body, breath ghosting against the skin of his cheek.

John moved easily inside him, hitting his prostate over and over again. When John's breath started to hitch a little, Rodney felt the cock ring come off. John broke the silence he had wrapped them in with a single word. "Come."

Rodney spilled between them, pleasure rolling through his body in wave after wave. He could hear moans—the sound coming from deep inside—and with a vague realization, Rodney knew they were his. John had given him this, gifted him with this.

A moment later, he felt heat deep inside, as John followed him over the edge, then collapsed on top of him, breathing hard into Rodney's skin as they both drifted. It was John who recovered first, and Rodney was aware of his lover propping himself up on his elbows, the dick still inside him shifting slightly.

Rodney breathed deeply, his head turned to the side, eyes closed, body fully relaxed. If he could stay here like this forever, he would.

Eventually, John pulled out. He took the clamps off Rodney's nipples, sending a few more shock waves of pleasure through his body as the endorphins rushed in. John's warmth then disappeared momentarily, but before Rodney could question it, he was back, a damp cloth carefully cleaning away the sticky mess off Rodney's body and in his ass. That done, John's heat pressed back against his side, and a hand came to rest heavily on his stomach, anchoring him.

Rodney hummed, letting his lover know he was awake and alert, but that was about all he could manage right now—all he wanted to manage.

John chuckled softly, and Rodney felt a kiss pressed into his shoulder.

How long they stayed like that, Rodney didn't know, didn't care, but John finally—reluctantly—began speaking to him, pulling him back up toward reality. He whined a little, the sound indistinct, but enough for John to hear the complaint.

"I know, buddy. I promise, I'll take you to this place again, and let you stay there for as long as you want, all day if you want. But right now I need you to come back up for me, at least a little. I need to unhook you and get you dressed for dinner and the show."

Rodney nodded slowly, turning toward the sound of John's voice, refusing to open his eyes yet. It was still too soon.

Lips brushed his lightly. "I'm going to go get myself dressed before I come get you ready. I'll be right here if you need me, otherwise, come back at your own pace."

"'kay," he whispered, getting a kiss from John in return before the other man slid away from the bed. Rodney listened to the sound of his lover moving around the room, the slide of pants on skin, the zip of a zipper. Rodney slowly opened his eyes, watching John as he pulled on his shirt, covering up the amazing body with clothes that only emphasized it more.

He tried to shift on the bed, but discovered John still had him completely secured and he smiled at the other man's forethought and his care. When John glanced over next, he looked surprised to see Rodney watching him.

"Hey there. Didn't expect to see you back this fast." Abandoning the shoes he had been about to put on, John returned to Rodney's side, hands coming up to caress his chest and stomach.

"Hi," Rodney said quietly, offering a sated smile.

"Hi." John traced the curve of Rodney's mouth with a finger. "I'm going to unstrap the harness first, then go clean the toys while you adjust. When I'm done, I'll finish freeing you, and get you dressed."

"Okay….thanks." Not quite a full sentence, but it was getting there.

An affectionate smile curving his lips, John did as he had said, unstrapping the harness so Rodney had a little room to shift. He gathered up all the toys they had used and padded back into the bathroom.

Rodney floated for a little while, feeling his mind slowly coming back online. He was a little sore, his ass well fucked, his nipples aching in a very good way. God, if only he could feel like this all the time.

Here in this place, like this, he didn't have to worry about anything except making John happy—and John told him how. This was real—from the sensations he felt before, during, and after. This was living, loving.

When John returned, he unhooked the straps on Rodney's legs, helping him move them a little to get the blood flowing again. Rodney watched his lover go to the dresser and start picking out the clothes he would wear for the evening.

"How…how dressy is this thing?" he asked, his voice still much subdued, watching as John's back muscles shifted under the shirt that clung to his body.

"Not too. We're having dinner at the Stratosphere beforehand, then the show itself. I'd call it casual dressy. I'm wearing this, and I'll pull on my leather jacket as we leave," John was wearing black jeans with one of the new black tops that made Rodney's fingers itch to play with his lover's nipples. "I'm putting you in black jeans and the shirt that makes your eyes turn that amazing shade of blue, along with your blazer." Returning to the bed, John smiled down at him. "Ready for the last straps to come off?"

Rodney nodded reluctantly, but he was also aware that they had to get moving. "As much as can be."

"I'm thinking we'll do this again, when we have some time to let you stay in headspace for a while. Maybe the day we go out to the Grand Canyon. I can bring you down and help you stay there all day if you want to try it." His hands were freed, and once again John helped him lower them, rubbing the muscles to help ensure there was no cramping.

Rodney reached out, grabbing a hand and pulling John down on top of him. "If nothing else convinced me…I'm yours, John. That was…you were…"

John stretched out along Rodney's body, loose and lean against him, one hand caressing idly. "We finally hit on how to bring you all the way down into headspace. I've gotten you close a few times, but that was the first time I managed to get you that deep. I had a feeling you would enjoy it if we could get you there."

Sighing in contentment, Rodney closed his eyes again, letting the feel of John's fingers bring him down a few notches. If John wanted to and they had more time, Rodney was convinced it wouldn’t take much to put him back under.

He could feel John grinning as his lover pressed a kiss into his lips. "God, you're hot like this. If we didn't have tickets, I'd say screw it and just keep you here like this all night. But there's always tomorrow." John sat up and gently pulled Rodney with him. "Keep your eyes closed if you want, and let me dress you."

Nodding, Rodney let John move him where he needed, the cuffs coming off first, a kiss pressed to the leather-warmed skin. Clothes followed next, until Rodney found himself completely dressed—down to his shoes and wristwatch.

John pressed a kiss to Rodney's lips before pulling him upright directly into his arms.

John just held him for a moment, wrapping his strong arms tight around Rodney's body, letting Rodney squeeze him in return. "If you want to stay this deep a little while longer, keep your eyes closed and trust me to lead you to the car. You can open them at any time, and once we get to the restaurant I'll need you to be online at least enough to get yourself inside and fed, since me feeding you would probably raise eyebrows in a place like that. You don't have to come up any more than that, however, if you're happy and comfortable in headspace."

Rodney leaned back and opened his eyes, regarding John with longing. "While I'd like that option, I'm not sure if I'm ready for that kind of…public display."

John nodded. "That's why I didn't make it an order. If you want to try staying in deep headspace for a day, we can do it when we're driving out to the Grand Canyon, like I mentioned before. You can stay in the car for the bulk of the ride, and I'll rouse you to take in the sights, but otherwise, it will just be me and you. For tonight, stay as deep—or not—as you're comfortable with."

Rodney nodded, offering John a thankful smile. "You said something about dinner?"

"I made us reservations at the Stratosphere—it's supposedly one of the best restaurants on the strip. That's at 1700, and the show starts at 1930. It's 1630 now, so we should get going." John reached out a hand to link their fingers as they wandered out of the bedroom.

Rodney let a comfortable silence fall between them as they walked to the front of the hotel, picking up the car from the valet, their hands not relinquishing their grip until they had to. Once in the car, Rodney's hand was on John's thigh, resting right by the joint, fingers brushing against John's groin with no intention of arousing, just needing the intimate contact.

John parted his legs slightly to let Rodney touch where he needed, one hand dropping to rest on top of Rodney's. It didn't take them long to get to the restaurant, and when they got out of the car, John immediately reached for Rodney's hand again.

They made their way inside, taking the elevator to the top floor, the hostess seating them immediately, handing them the menus and wine list with a promise to return shortly. Rodney glanced at the menu for a moment before closing it with a snap. He didn't have the patience to wade through everything and John…he knew John would do it for him, would like to. "Order for me?"

He heard John's low hum of approval. "Do you want wine?"

"I could have some," he replied after a minute as he nodded. "But not too much. I don't want to fall asleep at the show."

When the waitress returned, John ordered both their meals, as diligent about making sure she understood Rodney's allergies as Rodney himself usually was. The sommelier came over, and after discussing what they were both having with the man, John choose a wine, ordering a single glass for each of them. While they waited, he ran a hand along Rodney's leg under the table. "I've head the show is wonderful. It's billed as the 'adult' side of Cirque."

"You booked us tickets to an adult show?" Rodney chuckled lightly, his hand finding John's, pulling both to rest on the table, fingers intertwined, his thumb rubbing circles on John's skin. "Why doesn't that surprise me?"

"It's Cirque du Soleil—totally mainstream. It's gotten good reviews across the board. Although I did splurge and get us the loveseats. More intimate that way."

"Really? Sounds a little more upscale than the DVD and take-out I’m used to."

"What can I say, when I decide to court someone, I do it right." John smiled, squeezing Rodney's hand lightly.

"You definitely do," Rodney said, a sincere smile on his face as he met John's gaze. Their appetizer arrived a few moments later—their server offering them a smile as she placed the carefully arranged first course before them, the wine arriving moments later, the bottle dusty.

"I must apologize," the sommelier said. "I thought we had the wine you requested, but it must have just been selected by another dinner. Would this perhaps meet your requirements? It is only available by the bottle, but we could send it to your hotel if you wish."

John looked over the label, smiling. "That will be fine. We just want one glass each for now, but we're staying at the Venetian, under the name John Sheppard." Before Rodney could try any of the food, John tasted each item, declaring it citrus-free. "Try this one—God, that's good." He held an artichoke heart that had been grilled and marinated in something up to Rodney's lips.

Rodney leaned forward taking the bite John was offering, moaning as the taste spread out across his tongue. "Wow…what did they do to that?" he asked, picking up his own fork to find the same thing on his plate.

"No idea. If they'll give it to me, I'll get the recipe and make it for you some time."

"I'm sure you can sweet-talk it out of them," Rodney said with a smile, moving his leg forward so his ankle was pressed up against the inside of John's calf. Sheppard shifted, closing his legs around it, holding it in place.

Turning back to his food, Rodney ate slowly, exchanging conversation and long looks with John, part of him wishing they were back in the hotel, the other part enjoying the simple pleasure of being out with John with no reason to hide.

"In the next day or two I need to get the number for your lawyer so I can call and check how the paperwork is going, make sure they don't need anything from me." John held a forkful of his own dinner out for Rodney to try.

"I can give it to you later if you want," Rodney said, before taking the taste John offered, loving some of the freedoms this town gave them, letting them be themselves in a way they couldn't anywhere else. He'd ordered them two different dishes, but they both looked and tasted amazing. "He probably has the papers finished. Depends how much you needed done."

"I didn't actually have a will at all, so I needed a lot done. Hopefully he can overnight me whatever he needs signed here, and I can send it back, so everything will be taken care of by the time we leave Vegas." They continued to share meals, John stealing a few bites off Rodney's plate as he continued to offer some from his own.

"Probably. Just tell him exactly what you want and he'll get it done."

"Yeah, that's what he said, I told him I wanted you to get everything should anything happen to me, and if a decision needs to be made and I can't make it, you're the only one I want to do it."

Rodney glanced up at John, some of the surprise evidently showing on his face.

"What?" John paused mid-bite, fork hovering the air.

Rodney shrugged. "I know I should have expected it, but it still sounds…weird." He dropped his fork, taking hold of John's hand. "I know I’m not good at this type of thing and that nothing is guaranteed, but I never expected any of this and I don't know how you managed it…but…thank you. For this, for everything."

John blinked a few times, then a slow, almost shy smile spread across his face. "I love you. And I, well I've always liked the romance side of relationships, so…thank you for indulging me, for letting me take care of you." John's thumb caressed the back of his hand.

Rodney held John's gaze for several beats more before squeezing John's hand and glancing back down at his nearly-empty plate. "I…I think I'm just about done. This was perfect and tasted amazing."

John's thumb caressed the back of Rodney's hand again before letting go. "We can get something for dessert after the show. I'll feed you something decadent and full of chocolate."

"Since you've done so well so far, I think I can leave that decision safely in your hands."

With another smile, John signaled the waiter to bring the check. "We need to head over to get our seats pretty soon."

Rodney nodded, leaning back in his chair as the wait staff cleared the table, bringing John the check that he didn't let Rodney see. Once everything was signed and paid for, they made a brief stop in the bathroom before heading out, Rodney taking John's hand, loving the feel of his partner's wedding band against his skin.

The seats John selected were amazing. Couches, just like he'd said, right up near the stage. The show itself…was nothing like he expected. It was sensual and provocative making Rodney move closer to John throughout the show, letting his quiet strength and warmth ground him as the show enthralled him, teased him.

One of John's hands had slipped over, coming to rest on Rodney's thigh, fingers between Rodney's legs.

Tugging John's other arm around his shoulders, Rodney leaned into John's embrace, just enjoying the feel of his partner.

John pulled him close, so they were pressed together all along their sides, heat bleeding together. When the action on stage would taper off for a moment, between scenes and such, John would lean in, brushing light kisses along Rodney's jaw and neck.

Toward the end of the show Rodney had turned when the lights dropped, meeting John's lips with his, sharing a brief kiss, filled with promise and longing and love.

When it was over, the house lights coming up, both of them joined in the applause. John had hooked an ankle around Rodney's so they were still pressed together.

As the audience slowly filed out, John held Rodney close, waiting for the crush of people to file out before they started toward the exit, hands entwined, shoulders bumping as they walked.

"Are you tired?" John had a sort of hopeful look on his face.

"Not really, no," Rodney said after a moment. "You have something else in mind?"

"I know of a club not far from here—and Saturday is 70s and 80s night... We could have a drink, grab dessert...dance maybe...?"

"I won't turn down drinks and dessert."

John practically bounced on his toes. "We won't stay too late, but it's a lot of fun."

Rodney shrugged. "I can't guarantee the dancing part, but why not give it a try?"

As the valet pulled up with their car, John leaned over and gave Rodney a wet, happy kiss, then took the keys and opened the passenger door, gesturing for him to get in.

With a head shake and a chuckle—the valet giving them both approving looks—Rodney slid into the car, John joining him a few beats later.

"God, I haven't been to a club in forever. I used to go all the time in college, and I could spend all night dancing and listening to the music. This is going to be fun!"

"All night?"

John glanced over grinning. "There were a few classes I didn't actually need to attend to pass. So I'd stay out the night before I had those in the morning, get in at like four or five AM, then sleep until I had to be up for the afternoon stuff."

"And this doesn't surprise me. Why?" Rodney laughed again, rolling his eyes. John smiled at him and Rodney settled his hand back on his partner's leg, tucked in toward the inside, Sheppard shifting so he had more room for his fingers.

The club wasn't far and it was still early—relatively speaking in terms of clubs. The music was everything that Rodney loved and hated about his youth.

As they walked up to the bar, the song Kung Fu Fighting began to play, and John looked over at him eyes big and wide as he bounced again. "Dance with me?"

"John…"

John twirled him in a circle with their linked hands, ending with their chests pressed together. "We don't even have to go out to the dance floor. We can do it right here."

Eyes glancing around the room, Rodney saw a mix of people, but dancing with John… "Can we grab a beer or something and just hang out for a little bit first?"

John pressed a quick kiss to his lips, then stepped back, intertwining their hands again. "Sure. Molson, right?"

"Ah…yes, please," he replied, grateful that John was so understanding. With beer in hand, they headed for a table near the dance floor, but dark and secluded enough for them to sit a little closer than normal without having everyone staring at them.

John was bouncing his head in time to the music, humming along when it was something he knew, and Rodney could feel him tapping his foot a bit. But instead of asking to dance again, he snuggled a little closer to Rodney in the booth and sipped on his beer.

"This place will get packed later. It's one of only a few places that are truly gay-friendly. I like this one because it was the first—it’s owned by a couple of guys who have been partners for probably twenty years now. They got tired of being stared at in the regular clubs, so they founded this one. Every night is a different theme, and it rotates throughout the week. The few times I've been in Vegas and managed to stop in, I usually tried to come either on Saturday for the 70s and 80s, Wednesday, which is country, or Thursday, where they play a lot of amazing jazz and blues. That’s the only night they have a live band, and it's usually someone from New Orleans, or a local jazz player. I could just sit in a corner and listen to that stuff all night long.”

Shifting, Rodney leaned back against John, watching the couples on the floor, sipping on his beer, and just enjoying being here with John.

A huge, hairy man was suddenly looming at their table, peering down at them through the gloom. "Sheppard? Did I see you walk in here earlier?"

“Gaines! Hey, I didn’t think you’d be here tonight, otherwise I would have asked at the bar. How are you?” John had stood up, holding his hand out to shake the gorilla’s, but was instead pulled into a rough hug.

Rodney glanced between the two men, a little puzzled by the connection. But before he could ask anything, John was turning to him, introducing him to Gaines.

“Hey, man, I have someone for you to meet. This is my partner, Rodney.” John reached out a hand, and the happiness on his face took Rodney aback a bit. “Rodney, this is Peter Gaines, one of the owners of the club I was just telling you about.”

Gaines reached out a hand and hauled Rodney into an embrace. “So Sheppard finally found someone who makes him happy? Way to go boyo! Harry’s gonna flip when he hears—we had despaired of him ever finding anyone when he jumped ship and joined that homophobic cesspool for a living.”

Glancing over at John for a moment before turning back to Gaines, Rodney offered a smile. "It's nice to meet you. Although, apart from the mention about five minutes ago, I can't say that I've heard much about you."

Gaines rolled his eyes. "Harry'll be crushed, but I'm not surprised. Fairy bastard probably just told you he wanted to come dancing didn't he?" Gaines had taken Rodney's arm and was leading him toward a door near the back, John trailing along behind, spluttering a bit.

"Dancing was mentioned, yes."

"Figures. We've known him for years, but he still won't come back unless one of us spots him and hauls him in. I'd say it's being shy, but I'm beginning to suspect he was either dropped on his head as a baby, or gets off watching Harry flutter." As they stepped through the door, it was almost like a different building. The booming from the music was completely cut off—amazing soundproofing—and it was decorated as a home. Gaines bellowed for Harry while John slid in next to Rodney, sliding their hands together.

"Are we being kidnapped or something?" Rodney asked quietly as he leaned into John.

"Sorry. I should have warned you, but honestly, I did just want to get a drink and dance a little, and I like it here. They're usually too busy to keep track of individual people in the club unless someone's causing trouble. But you'll like them, I hope."

"Yes. Warnings are generally nice."

John squeezed his hand. "I didn't expect this." A small man who was physically the opposite of Gaines in almost every way fluttered into the room. "Peter, what are you bellowing about?"

Rodney shook his head, not quite believing what he was seeing. Oddly enough, Harry seemed to believe Peter was spelled with an "ah" instead of the usual "er".

Harry made it far enough into the room to see John and Rodney, hands linked, and squealed. An honest to God squeal. And he flung himself at them, encompassing them both in a huge and surprisingly strong hug. "John! Dearest, you have a boyfriend! Finally!" He pulled back and took Rodney's face in his hands. "Oh, lovely, absolutely lovely. I just can't wait to hear all about you!"

"I…" Rodney began, breaking off, not quite sure what do to or say. He shot John his 'I'm scared of the strange aliens' look and hoped he caught the drift.

John stepped in smoothly, drawing Harry's attention. "Sorry to just drop in like this. I have to be honest, I didn't tell Rodney I knew the owners of this place. We were just going to grab a drink and maybe do a little dancing. So go easy on him, okay?" John shifted so his body was pressed along Rodney's offering reassuring warmth.

"All he wanted was a drink and dessert…" Rodney muttered, leaning into John a little more. This kind of surprise…he wasn't sure he liked it all that much.

Gaines took pity on them. "Harry makes pretty amazing chocolate pie and there happens to be one in the fridge now. Why don't you two come have a slice with us, then we'll let you get back to your evening." The man shot his partner a look, which had Harry rolling his eyes and immediately bouncing towards what Rodney assumed was the kitchen. John caught Rodney's eye, a clear question in his expression—if Rodney wanted to leave, John would get them out.

John knew these people. Obviously trusted them.

Rodney nodded reluctantly, his head tilting toward the kitchen.

Gaines slipped into the kitchen, where loud banging immediately started up. John leaned in close, his breath whispering over Rodney's ear, a hand resting comfortingly in the small of Rodney's back. "You don't have to do this. I didn't bring you here for this. We can go if you aren't comfortable, and I'll either come back later, or give them a call."

"Even I know that's rude," Rodney hissed back. "And there is chocolate pie."

John caught Rodney's chin, turned his face for a sweet kiss. "Harry makes wicked chocolate pie. But I don't care about being rude. As much as I like them, you're the one I love. I care more about what you think than what they do."

"It just…took me by surprise," Rodney said. "That's all." Rodney wrapped his arms around John, letting one hand slide up to hold John's shoulder. Leaning forward again, Rodney pressed his lips to his partner's once again, opening his mouth to let John kiss him, let him know that this was okay with him.

A tenseness Rodney hadn't noticed melted out of John's frame as he deepened the kiss for a moment. When he pulled back, it wasn't completely, just enough to ghost words over Rodney's skin. "Wicked chocolate pie."

"That has so many possibilities," Rodney whispered back as John closed the distance once again.

"They look pretty cute together, don't they?" Gaines amused voice eventually penetrated the haze of pleasure buzzing between them.

Rodney gasped into the kiss, breaking it off and moving to step away, but John caught him, holding him in place.

John turned a brilliant shade of red, but kept Rodney close. "So, ah, pie?"

"There's always room for pie," Rodney replied with a sigh and a smile for John.

Both Harry and Gaines smiled indulgently as John and Rodney sauntered into the homey kitchen, where there were several plates of rather decadent-looking pie waiting for them. Harry sat them on one side of the table, with himself and his partner across from them. Leaning forward, head on his hands, he looked at both of them, an open, interested look on his face. Rodney knew he couldn’t lie for shit, but he had a feeling Harry was even worse. “So, Rodney—Peter told me that was your name since John was too busy mussing you to get around to it. Tell us a little about you. I mean you are absolutely gorgeous, but I need details, honey.”

Rodney glanced down, fingers playing with his fork. "I work with John," is how he decided to begin.

"You aren't military?!" Harry's eyes had gone wide. "Don't take this the wrong way Johnny, but your young man looks too smart to have fallen in with that crowd, too."

"They pay astrophysicists well," Rodney snapped, "and I'm one of the best."

Gaines eyebrow went up, and he looked impressed. John’s hand came to rest on Rodney’s thigh, comforting, and his voice was warm. “Rodney is actually a civilian contractor at the base I’m stationed at. He’s also the smartest man I know. He’s a genius and fucking brilliant.”

“A scientist!” Harry bounced in his seat a bit. “Oh, beautiful and smart. Johnny, if you let this one get away, I will have Peter hunt you down and feed you stale oatmeal cookies.” John shuddered slightly, although whether it was from being called Johnny or the cookie threat, Rodney didn’t know.

"John's the one who actually knows how this whole thing works," Rodney said, eyes dropping back down to his un-touched piece of pie as his hand waved absently in the air.

Gaines reached out and patted Rodney's arm. "You two looked like you were doing just fine earlier. Don't mind Harry—he just gets a little excited when it comes to people he likes. And for some odd reason he likes your partner, which means he likes you by default.”

“I am sitting right here you know, and I’m not some sort of homeless puppy up for adoption.” John got a bite of pie on his fork and held it up to Rodney’s lips. “Try this, you’ll like it.”

Meeting John's eye over the fork, Rodney paused for a moment before taking the offered confection, moaning as the taste exploded on his tongue. "Oh…god…" Rodney said, his eyes wide as he glanced down at his own piece. "What…how do you make it do that?"

Gaines grinned, taking a bite of his own pie as Harry beamed at him. "It's a family recipe, although I've made a few adjustments of my own. I'm so glad you like it! If you want, I'll give you two the rest of the pie to take home with you."

"Oh, god. Yes, please."

John shifted in his chair slightly, earning him knowing looks from the men across the table. "I've been trying to get the recipe from him for years, but he refuses to tell me how he does it." John took a bite himself and then offered another forkful to Rodney.

"Mmmm," Rodney said, savoring the bite. "I must have the touch."

Harry and Gaines both laughed, a light, happy sound. “Like I said, it’s a family recipe. It shouldn’t be eaten alone. Now that Johnny has someone to make it for, I’ll let him take home the instructions.”

John’s eyes went wide, and he sat forward a bit, which had the added benefit of shifting his hand up Rodney’s thigh and closer to his crotch. “Really? You’ll tell me how to make it? I can make pornographic pie for Rodney whenever I want?”

"See. This…thing has given you an added bonus you never even considered," Rodney commented with a smirk, curling his hand over John's arm.

With a grin, John leaned in and planted a chocolate-flavored kiss against Rodney’s lips. “I already got the bonus prize. This is just a little something extra thrown in free with purchase.”

As John backed off, Rodney licked a drop of chocolate off the corner of John's lip before sitting back in his chair, blushing a little when he caught their host's gaze. "Sorry."

Gaines grinned. "Never apologize for affection, son. Frankly, I've never seen John this happy. Enjoy it." To prove his point, the large man reached over and hauled Harry into a deep, very passionate kiss, the smaller man making soft contented noises into his lover's mouth.

Rodney felt his eyes widen as he watched the other two men, feeling John's arm wrap around him.

Lips were pressed into Rodney's neck, and John's breath tickled his ear. "I told you the pie was wicked. Once I can make it myself, I want to smear it all over my body and watch your face as you lick it off me."

"We'd need lots of towels," Rodney replied with a purr.

"Mmmm. I bet we could find a few." The sounds from across the table were getting more pornographic by the moment, and John's hand slipped further between Rodney's legs, brushing against his groin.

"If we don't leave soon, we might be witnessing a new type of adult show."

The puff of John's amusement against his neck made Rodney shiver. "I've walked in on them before. I think it amuses them to watch me blush."

"If we're going to…play a little," Rodney said, moaning a little as John bit down on his neck, "it might be better if we were alone."

John got a bit of the chocolate pie filling on his finger and smeared it across Rodney's lips. "I agree. The only problem is that I want you now. Letting you get up is going to be hell."

John kissed his way into Rodney's mouth, his hand starting to stroke Rodney through his pants.

They got lost in each other, John smearing more pie on Rodney's lips every time they came up for air, then licking it off, sharing the taste. At some point, during one of the pauses, Rodney noticed their hosts had left, although from the sounds coming from the living room, they hadn't gone all that far.

When John started unbuttoning Rodney's pants, McKay pressed his hand over John's stopping him. "Please, not here."

John whined against his lips, but his hand stilled. "I don't know if I can drive like this."

"I'm…please, not here."

John sucked in a few breaths, panting into Rodney's skin before he reluctantly pulled away. When he stood casting about wildly for a pen and paper, Rodney could see how hard he was. John scrawled a quick note.

_Went to ravish my lover. Staying at the Venetian. We'll try to swing back by before we leave Vegas. Took the pie, send recipe._

_—J &R_

He then hauled Rodney to his feet. "We need to go now. I need to feel your skin under my hands. I need to feel you come."

Rodney nodded, following John out one of the side doors that emptied directly into the parking lot. Roaring out of the parking lot with John's hand stroking him through his pants, they managed to get back to their hotel within minutes.

Tossing the keys at the valet as he slid out, John tugged Rodney out of the car, moving quickly through the lobby to the elevator bank.

John pressed him against the wall, kissing him deeply as they waited for their ride to come, careful not to crush the dessert Rodney was holding, and whispering dirty things to him in between licks.

"John…" Rodney warned when John pulled back to catch his breath, so mindful of the eyes on them.

John whined again, but backed off. "Sorry... God can this elevator come any slower?"

"Hate it when the machinery knows things, don't you?"

The look John sent him was full of heat and promise. Fortunately, the elevator chose that moment to finally arrive, and John hauled him in. As the doors closed, Rodney caught a glimpse of a gaggle of girls who had apparently been watching them with wide eyes. "When we get to the room, give me the pie. You're going straight to the bedroom, and when I get there, I want you naked and waiting for me."

"You just want me naked," Rodney teased, even as his own body demanded attention.

John purred his agreement, fingers teasing the exposed skin on Rodney's arms. "Very naked."

"Seems to be a pattern, a habit or something."

"I'm getting predictable."

"With certain things, yes." Rodney smiled, his hand resting comfortably on John's hip.

"I haven't had any complaints." John swayed slightly, and Rodney could tell he was holding himself back from another kiss by sheer force of will.

The elevator door opened onto their floor a few beats later and Rodney was tugged out and down the hall to their room.

John had the door unlocked and was taking the pie out of Rodney's hands. "Naked." John sing-songed the word, leering a little at Rodney.

Chuckling, Rodney nodded, moving to the bedroom, stripping as he walked, his clothes ending up on one of the chairs, his shoes toed off and sitting beneath. He briefly thought about kneeling for John or doing something else, but right now that just didn't seem right. After everything today, Rodney didn't feel like he needed to do anything special. Instead Rodney stood at the foot of the bed, casually waiting for his partner to wander in.

It didn't take John all that long, padding in—he had lost the shoes somewhere, but nothing else. When he saw Rodney, he stopped, eyes dark as he stared. "I never get tired of looking at you. God, you're fucking perfect."

Rodney took a few steps closer, closing the distance between them, reaching out to grab John's hand. "You say that to all the boys," he said with a light smile.

"No." John shook his head, but let Rodney draw him close, his clothes rubbing rough against Rodney's skin in exciting ways. "Just you. I've never wanted anyone this much."

Wrapping his arms around John's waist, Rodney leaned in, meeting John's lips with his own, loving the feel of his lover, his partner.

John deepened the connection, walking them backwards until Rodney felt his legs bump the side of the bed. John kept pushing, getting him to sit and scoot back, then following, covering Rodney's body with his own, pressing him into the mattress. All while barely breaking the kiss, practically devouring Rodney's mouth.

As he tangled his legs with John's clothed ones, Rodney used his hands and arms to pull John closer, one hand sliding under the back of John's shirt to get to skin.

John arched a bit into the touch, pushing his bulging groin to grind against Rodney's. Breaking the kiss, he gasped at the feeling. "Lube. Where the hell did I leave the lube?"

"Table, probably," Rodney panted, his body on edge.

Growling, John slid off and went fumbling for the little bottle. When he crawled back, he already had it open, fingers shiny and wet. Pushing Rodney's legs up, he got two of them inside, his mouth attaching itself to one of Rodney's nipples at the same time.

Arching into his partner's touch, one of Rodney's hands settled on John's head, fingering through his hair while the other gently stroked John's cloth-covered shoulder. His soft moans and gasps of pleasure as John teased and played only encouraged him to continue.

Once his body was loose enough, John pulled his fingers free, sitting up to unfasten his pants and pull his own leaking cock out. He slicked it up, and pulled Rodney's legs up over his shoulders so he could push in, filling Rodney, until the rough material of the jeans he was still wearing—they had only been pushed down enough to allow John to free himself—were rubbing against Rodney's bare ass.

With a long moan, Rodney closed his eyes and wrapped his legs around John, crossing his ankles to hold him tight.

John rolled his hips a few times, making them both pant with pleasure.

"John…" Rodney whispered, his hands running up and down John's back, finally pushing up his shirt to get to skin. "Love you…"

Moaning, John pushed in deeper, as if he was trying to fuse them together. "God...Rodney...love you so much..." He found Rodney's mouth, and set up a rhythm of tongue and dick and pleasure that had them both floating.

John rocked into him, fucking him with a gentle intensity that sent Rodney higher, his hands grabbing on a little more desperately.

One of John's hands worked its way between their bodies to wrap around Rodney's erection. He used the motion of their bodies to let Rodney fuck his hand. Breaking the kiss for a moment, John's hazel eyes were almost black with intensity. "Hold out for as long as you can, but come when you need to."

Groaning in response, Rodney leaned up capturing John's mouth again.

It was almost sensory overload. John taking his mouth and his ass. A hand on his dick. The rough feel of fabric against naked skin. The sound and smell of sex filling the air.

Whimpering into John's mouth, Rodney could feel the arousal and need building higher and higher, pooling deeply in the base of his spine. When John shifted slightly, hitting Rodney's prostate with every stroke, the extra sensation finally pulled him over the edge, shudders of pleasure rocking his body as he moaned into John's mouth as Sheppard continued to rock into him, riding him through the aftershocks.

When he came back to himself, the first thing he was aware of was that John was still hard, and still buried deep inside him. The second was that his lover was just holding him, whispering soft words Rodney couldn't quite make out into his skin.

Taking a deep breath, Rodney tightened his arms around John, tilting his head so he could kiss a patch of skin along his jaw.

John hummed and moved slightly to give Rodney better access.

"You didn't come," he finally whispered, the words ghosting over John's skin, making him shiver.

"Wanted to feel you come first." John's voice was just as quiet.

"Are you okay?" Rodney asked after a few moments of silence as he licked and kissed John's neck and shoulder.

"Mmmm. I could stay here forever, so deep inside you, your lips on my skin. Feels so good."

Rodney pressed his lips to John's skin, letting the other man feel his smile. "Mmm…makes me feel full…wish you could stay, too."

John's hips stuttered, and Rodney knew that as much as the other man wanted to make this last, staying still had to be killing him. "Saying things like that will ensure you spend an amazingly disproportionate amount of your life on your back tied to a bed."

"I don't see me complaining," Rodney chuckled, "although the Wraith might take advantage of it."

"I can set you up a laptop, and you can write some sort of voice activated program. You can run the labs from the comfort of my bed."

Rodney chuckled again. "Whatever you want, sir."

He could feel John's whole-body shudder, including the part of him currently taking up residence in Rodney's ass. "You know that always makes me want to do unspeakably dirty things to your person, right?"

"Have at it."

"Mmm. That would mean I have to come though, which means I have to leave my happy place."

"Tough decision."

"Some days being team leader means you get stuck having to make the really hard decisions. Like, do I want to fuck you hard and fast right now, or do I want you to ride me while I play with your nipples?"

"Now that's one difficult decision," Rodney replied, pressing lips to John's shoulder once again.

"Mmm hmm. You should pity me. I could strain something making a decision like that."

"Careful. You can't afford to lose any more brain cells. How will you ravish me properly then?"

"Any more?" John caught his eye, and Rodney could feel his chuckle through his whole body. Who knew sex could be this much fun?

"Yes, I believe that's what I said."

"I didn't realize I had lost any in the first place. I did pass the MENSA test you know."

"Passing and joining are two different things."

John's grin got wicked. "I'd say that makes me the smart one."

"Oh, I don't think so," Rodney said, shifting as much as his position would allow.

John hummed and started licking and nibbling the side of Rodney's neck in between words. "Smart enough to pass the test, but not waste time preening about it with other people who passed it."

"I do not preen."

"No, you mock. I like that better." Rodney shifted slightly, and John moaned into his neck, breath coming a little faster.

"You know," Rodney said, letting his hands skim along the section of John's back that he'd bared, "we can take care of that."

"I'm...going to have to. Soon. I...god you drive me crazy. I still can't decide between hard and fast, making you scream my name as you come again, or so slow you're sobbing and begging me for release." John's breath hitched and his dick twitched inside Rodney.

"Up to you, John. Whatever you need, whatever you want." Rodney leaned up to catch John's mouth again in a kiss.

With something that sounded suspiciously like a sob himself, John returned the kiss, then finally, finally started to move. A few slow thrusts, before he broke their lips and pushed himself up to get a bit more leverage. "Not...not going to last much longer."

Rodney loosened his legs a little to give John a little more room to move, bracing himself on the bed as best he could.

True to his word earlier, John took him hard, hitting his prostate on every stroke. Rodney was hard again in a few thrusts, leaking in a few more. John was growling naughty and incredibly hot things the whole time.

Moaning and whimpering with every thrust, John pulled him higher once again.

"Not going to last much longer. Come, please, Rodney, need you to come..."

With a choked off yell of his lover's name, Rodney felt his body respond, spilling over his stomach as he clenched around John's cock as it slid in and out, John's thrusts becoming erratic. As Rodney rode through the aftershocks of his own orgasm, John stiffened and cried out and Rodney felt warmth spreading deep inside him, the other man collapsing on top of him, boneless and panting.

"Nng."

"Mmm."

"I'm just gonna take a nap now." Considering John was still inside him, and still fully dressed in come-covered clothing, Rodney didn't think that would be a great idea just yet.

"John…you need to strip."

John made a noise in the back of his throat. "Don't wanna move."

"Me either, but you'll regret it in a little while."

With a sigh, John slowly pushed himself up, pulling out at the same time. "Help me?"

"Of course," Rodney said, following him up, his hands already tugging at the shirt, pulling it over John's head.

They made quick work of getting John naked, although much to the scientist's amusement, John seemed to run out of energy before he managed to get the socks off, falling back into the bed with a grunt of satisfaction, limbs going out everywhere so he was taking up more than half the bed.

Managing to get out from under John, Rodney slid out of bed and padded off to the bathroom, wetting a facecloth and washing off his stomach, ass, and legs, before turning back to the bed only to discover John no longer in it.

He heard sounds coming from the living area, so he walked out, almost running into John coming back in, carrying a pint of ice cream and a spoon. "Mint Chocolate Chip?"

Rodney raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were exhausted from our manly sexual encounter."

John sniffed and brought the snack to the bed. "You can never be too tired for ice cream."

"Is that so?" Rodney paused at the side of the bed, looking at John as he lay in the middle of the rumpled king bed.

"Mmph hmmm. Wansome?" John talked around the dessert, slurring his words together, but he held out a spoonful for Rodney.

Smirking, he leaned forward, planting his hands on the bed. He opened his mouth and closed his eyes.

The cold metal pushed into his mouth, bringing the taste of mint and chocolate. When it withdrew empty, it was chased by a hot tongue licking up a drop left behind on Rodney's lips.

Swallowing down the ice cream, Rodney offered John a smile. "Not bad."

John ate a spoonful himself, closing his eyes and swallowing, obviously enjoying it.

Rodney licked his lips, tasting the remnants of mint and John. He moved to sit on the edge of the bed, his hand resting on John's ankle.

John smiled and held out another spoon of ice cream. "Nap after this? What time is it anyway?"

Taking the offered spoonful of ice cream, Rodney glanced around the room, finally finding the clock. "It's just after midnight."

"Mmm, so not a nap then, but bed. And damn, I never did get you to dance with me." Eating the last of the pint, John set the empty container and spoon down and slid back off the bed, holding out his arms. "Dance with me now?"

"There's no music."

John looked around the room, spotting the iPods and the clock radio with the dock, he quickly hooked them together, and strains of something classical—it was Rodney's iPod —started to fill the room. John came back over and gave a short bow. "May I have this dance?"

Shaking his head, Rodney offered an incredulous smile. "I really don't dance."

"It's just us. No one watching." John stepped in and took Rodney's hands, pulling him to his feet and slowly leading him through a slow dance. From the way he moved, Rodney had a feeling John was a good dancer when he wanted to be.

With a quiet sigh, Rodney moved closer, wrapping his arms around John, letting the other man lead them around the floor of the bedroom, swaying in time with the music. Rodney let his eyes close as he pressed his cheek against John's and let himself be lost in the music, motion, and the touch and feel and smell of John.

As the song came to an end, John turned his head to look at Rodney, eyes soft. "Not too bad, huh?"

"You can actually dance," Rodney replied quietly.

"You're no slouch yourself."

"It's all about rhythm and timing."

"So why don't you like to do it?" Another song started, and John began to move them again, gliding across the floor.

Rodney shrugged.

"I like dancing. It's like foreplay set to music."

"Well, you know me and my track-record for foreplay."

John leaned his head in, resting it next to Rodney's, kissing his hairline softly. "I don't know, from this end you're doing pretty damn good."

"I'm just following your lead."

"You're doing just fine." John breathed the words across Rodney's skin, keeping his voice low and intimate.

Rodney shivered a little and John pulled him closer, slowing down their steps as he tilted his head, running small kisses along Rodney's jaw.

John's hands skimmed his back, nails scraping lightly, only to be smoothed out again. "Rhythm and timing. That's all it takes."

"Mmm," Rodney breathed, turning his head to meet John's lips.

Unlike many of their encounters, where one or both of them was getting desperate, this was slow and sweet, just enjoying the feel and taste of one another, bodies and lips moving together. Rodney didn't know how long they stayed like that, but when John broke the kiss, the music had stopped, and they were mostly just swaying in place. "We should probably go to bed."

Rodney nodded slowly, reluctantly. "I guess."

John didn't move, just continued to hold him, nuzzling into Rodney's neck. "We should. It's getting late."

Shifting within John's arms, Rodney leaned forward, pressing his face into the side of John's neck, breathing him in. Today had been…amazing and he just didn't want this to end.

John tilted his head a bit to give Rodney more access. "Love you."

"Love you, too," Rodney whispered, lips ghosting across John's skin as he spoke, his arms tightening around his lover's body.

Arms still tight around him, John walked backwards slowly towards the bed, pulling Rodney along. "Here's the bed." Rodney had a smile a little at John's obvious reluctance to break the contact.

"And a nice bed it is," he whispered, refusing to loosen his own hold on John.

"Very nice. Better when you're in it with me."

"So what are you waiting for?"

John had tilted his head again to let Rodney kiss and nibble. "I don't want to stop you."

"I'm sure I can manage in a different location," Rodney said with a quiet chuckle, his breath on John's skin, pressing a final kiss before leaning back to look his partner in the eye.

John looked completely relaxed, his expression soft and happy. It was a look he didn't have very often, although Rodney realized he had been seeing it more lately.

John gave him a sleepy smile. "Bed? And more kissing? I like kissing you."

"Whatever you want, John," Rodney said with a light smile, his voice quiet. "Anything you want. You should know that by now."

Humming happily, John finally sat on the bed, scooting backwards and holding out his arms for Rodney. "That works both ways you know. There isn't much I wouldn't do if you asked me."

"I haven't had to ask." Rodney climbed up on the bed, crawling into John's arms.

Once more wrapped in heat and affection, John wiggled until they he was reclined against the pillows, Rodney snuggled on top of him, the blankets pulled up. "The offer is there though. If there's ever anything you want to try that I haven't thought of, or if I'm not giving you what you need, tell me." John pushed his face into Rodney's skin. "Never want to lose you. Never."

"If I think of something I'll be sure to let you know," Rodney said, humming as John kissed and nibbled at his skin.

"'Kay." John's kisses slowly got lighter, and Rodney realized, when they stopped altogether, that his breathing had evened out.

Wow. John had fallen asleep. Chuckling to himself, Rodney shifted a little, resting his head on John's chest, listening to the sound of his partner's heartbeat as he drifted off to sleep.

***

Adjusting his clothes, John looked in the mirror, catching a glimpse of Rodney in the background getting ready. Gaines and Harry had called them early this morning and insisted on dinner, which, fortunately, Rodney had been okay with.

He really hadn’t meant for that to happen, but he wasn’t sorry it had.

If he was honest with himself, he had forgotten that the two lived at the club. He blamed the haze of pleasure that Rodney produced in him for the memory lapse. Or maybe it was some sort of subconscious desire to show off his lover to the people who had acted as surrogate family to him over the years.

Roger and Sue were also on the list of people he wanted Rodney to meet—since they were already on the subject, he had asked permission to call them and see if they could come down. Turns out they were planning on coming in for The House on John and Rodney’s last night in Vegas anyway, so they were all going to spend the day together first. He hadn’t mentioned the club to Rodney again. If he wanted to go, that was fine, but John was determined not to push the issue, not after last time.

Fussing with his hair a bit more, John checked his reflection. He wasn’t sure why he was so nervous—they had already met Rodney once, last night. Granted, that had ended up in sex for all involved, but still… this was a real dinner, at a restaurant, and God he wanted Rodney to like them, and vice versa.

"You're worrying," Rodney said, coming up behind him and wrapping his arms around John's waist.

John leaned back, smiling at Rodney in the mirror. "Maybe a little. Does it show?"

"You've been playing with your hair for five minutes. It's not going to move an inch with all the gel you put in it."

John watched his blush creep up his chest and into his cheeks. "I didn't put that much in. But it looks funny, it isn't laying down right."

"It looks perfect," Rodney said, sliding a hand under John's shirt.

John's whole body tingled and came alive—it never ceased to amaze him how fast and how completely Rodney could turn him on with nothing more than a touch. He sucked in a breath and let his head fall back to rest on Rodney's shoulder. "We have to..." he moaned as his lover found a nipple and started to play. "Oh... dinner... We have to meet Harry and...Harry and Gaines... in...in twenty minutes."

"Uh huh."

Prying his eyes open, John looked at their reflection—and dear God why had he never thought to do this in front of a mirror before. He could feel himself start leaking a little, and his breath started coming in pants. "If you make me come in these... oh... pants, I'm...I'm going to be... oh God that's hot to watch."

Rodney chuckled, low, deep, and dirty. "Yes, sir, it is."

John dizzily reflected that he had two kinks in particular that took his brain offline faster than anything else—and Rodney had just hit them both, the sexy bastard. With a needy sound he was embarrassed to realize came from him, John fumbled at his pants, getting them open and freeing his aching dick. That, of course, just made the scene in the mirror that much hotter. He moaned again and turned his head into Rodney's neck, bringing his hands back to clutch at his lover's waist.

John could feel Rodney's hardening cock grinding into his ass, his lover's hands playing with his nipples, flicking at the rings.

John’s hips stuttered, his dick looking a bit obscene in the mirror, waving around out of his pants like that. “Fuck me.” They were standing in front of the dresser with the toy drawer. Feeling uncoordinated, John reached forward and managed to fumble it open, pulling out one of the dildos. “And fuck yourself with this.”

"John…" Rodney groaned. "We have less than twenty minutes."

"So fuck fast."

"I…" Rodney's eyes dropped down to John's cock, uncertainty passing over his face. "I haven't gotten the hang of fast yet…when it comes to fucking you."

John groaned, pushing his chest into Rodney's hands, trying to get those clever fingers to tease again. "Just pull down your pants and push in. Don't need prep, just need you inside me. Now."

"John, I don't want to hurt you."

John wanted to scream with frustration, but he forced his body to relax instead. He absolutely loved how innocent and hesitant Rodney still was about sex sometimes. Other times, like now, when he just wanted it hard and fast, it was very difficult to force himself to take it easy, talk him through it. "You won't hurt me. Please...Rodney... I need this."

He held John's gaze for a moment before nodding, turning to move back to the bedside table where he stripped out of his jeans and boxers and grabbed the lube.

John shoved his own jeans just far enough to bare his ass, and leaned against the dresser, positioning himself so Rodney wouldn't have any trouble penetrating him. He knew the little bit of burn that would come from being taken without prep would ground him, give him something to feel instead of nerves. "Rodney. Please. Now."

"If you want this, don’t rush me," he growled, carefully applying lube to his fingers.

"Fifteen minutes..." John sing-songed it. He wanted Rodney inside him right now, and he was going to be seriously annoyed if he missed being fucked because they had to leave.

"Then maybe you shouldn't have played with your hair for ten minutes," Rodney said, sliding two fingers along John's ass before slipping inside, stretching John.

John shoved back against the intruders, wanting them deeper, harder. "That's not a cock. Fuck me, damnit."

Instead of complying however, Rodney pulled out entirely, stepping back.

John put his head down on his arms, a quiet sob slipping out before he could stop it. "Rodney..."

His voice was tight. "You know I’m not all that comfortable with this part in the first place. You rushing me is not going to make this better."

John fought for some self-control, his body trembling with the effort. "Sorry. Uh, carry on?" He squashed the urge to snake one of his own hands up his shirt to play with the nipples Rodney had abandoned.

After a minute passed and Rodney hadn't moved back, John glanced toward his lover, seeing his hesitation.

"Please, I promise I won't let you hurt me. Come here, give me your hand." Realizing if he had any hope of getting fucked before they left—and yeah, they were going to be late at this point—he needed to take matters into his own hands. He grabbed the lube from the dresser where Rodney had set it, and slicked up one of his own fingers.

"Nononono…just call and tell them we're not coming. Then I can do this without you pushing me."

"I can't do that. Just come here, I promise, you won't hurt me. I'm not breakable, I can take it a little rough sometimes." John reached back, managing to snag Rodney's hand and pull him closer. Finding a slick digit, he positioned their hands so they were both getting a finger inside him. John sucked in a breath and had to pause to fight down the urge to shove himself backwards a bit.

Rodney managed to pull his hand away, scowling at John in the mirror. "Do you want me to do this or not?"

John glanced up, catching Rodney's eye in the reflection. He let his mask fall away completely, let his lover see his desperation. "Please."

"Then _let_ me do this."

John nodded, dropping his head back onto his arms. His dick was pulsing in time to his heartbeat, his nipples were begging to be touched again, and his ass was calling him a fucking tease, clenching almost rhythmically, begging for something to be pushed inside and left there this time.

It took a few moments before John felt Rodney's fingers again, pressing inside. It was slow and careful, but the two fingers quickly became three, sliding in and out, slicking him up. As John panted in desperation, Rodney's fingers left him and he patted John's hip. "One…ah….one sec."

John keened. There was no other word for it. "O...okay. Just...please...Rodney..."

When Rodney didn't answer, John turned around his eyes widening as he caught sight of Rodney, his tongue caught between his teeth as he shoved the vibrating dildo in his ass—just as John had asked him to.

"Oh my fucking God. I have died, and this is heaven, and I never, ever want to leave." John panted, and knew he really wasn't going to last much longer. Rodney wasn't even going to have to touch his dick to get him off at this point.

"Just…hang on," Rodney panted, already moving back to John, his cock already covered with lube. Taking a breath, Rodney positioned himself and slid into John.

John moaned, unable to help pushing back as Rodney pushed forward, neither stopping until Rodney was all the way in. "F...fuck yourself. With the...dildo. When you're...like this."

"I’m…not…I’m not that bendy," Rodney whispered, panting into John's shoulder. He did, however, reach back to turn on the dildo and John swore he could feel the vibration. Rodney hands then moved back to John's chest, sneaking under his shirt to his nipples.

At the first pull, John screamed Rodney's name. On some level he knew it was a girly scream, and not at all manly to do so as you came, spectacularly hard, all over the furniture. But he couldn't help it. His orgasm was ripped out of him, his whole body getting into the act.

Rodney moaned as John clenched around him, sucking in his breath as he hovered on the edge of his own orgasm.

John draped himself over the dresser, feeling completely boneless. "C...come. Now. Inside me."

Groaning, Rodney shifted, pulling out slightly before thrusting in, but for the first time in months, didn't come immediately.

John panted. "Please. I want to feel you."

"I…one minute…need more." One of his hands reached around behind him and John could feel the vibrations increase, Rodney's accompanying moan rumbling deep inside. He shifted again, hands on John's hips and then be began rocking back and forth, brushing against John's prostate with every pass.

His own dick gave a valiant twitch on every thrust, and John found himself rocking back to meet each one. "You feel so good, Rodney. Perfect, you're perfect."

Moaning, McKay's pace picked up, his whimpers and pants coming faster.

John clenched his ass, and wished he was...bendy...enough to reach the dildo and give Rodney what he needed. But in this position, all he could do was offer his body and let Rodney take what he needed.

Rodney sobbed, his thrusts stuttering as he began to lose control.

"Come on. Let it go. Come on, Rodney." John pushed back harder, finding Rodney's hands still wrapped around him and tangling their fingers.

His thrusts paused mid-stroke and John felt Rodney's body shudder as he spilled deep inside of John, collapsing against John's back.

John let them both slide to the floor. He tilted his head until he found the area roughly in the vicinity of McKay's mouth, planting a sloppy kiss there.

Rodney moaned as he pulled out of John, his body limp and still trembling.

John moaned a little himself as his lover slipped free, but managed to get himself turned around, slowly pulling the dildo free from Rodney's body and flicking the vibrations off. "Hey. You all right?"

He moaned again, leaning into John.

"We need to get cleaned up and get to dinner. Did you muss my hair?" John grinned a little. As the post-coital haze started to fade, it was leaving behind the pleasant, comfortable buzz of the well fucked.

"Dunno," Rodney whispered.

Pushing himself up, John stretched, bouncing a little on his toes. He darted into the bathroom, quickly cleaning himself up and getting his pants resettled, then headed back out to find Rodney sprawled on the floor. Kneeling next to him, John carefully began to clean him up. "Hey. You all right?"

"Not sure," Rodney answered after a moment.

John ran a hand up his arm, concerned. "I didn't...I'm sorry. I know you prefer to bottom. I just...really wanted to be fucked. I needed to feel something besides nerves."

"I know…just…can you…hold me for a few minutes?"

John immediately dropped completely to the floor, winding himself around Rodney's body. "I'm here. Whatever you need, it's yours."

"Just this," Rodney whispered, arms wrapped around John.

John found his mouth and kissed him, trying to put all the comfort and love he could into the act.

Rodney kissed him back—slowly, deeply—as his body slowly stopped trembling, his heart no longer pounding in his chest.

When Rodney had relaxed somewhat, John sat up enough to see his face. "Wanna tell me what's wrong?"

McKay glanced away, his grip tightening on John's back for a minute. "It's just…I don't want to hurt you and I know I'm not good at that part of things and you've always….helped….but this time I had to and we were meeting people for dinner and it had to be right now and it had to be right and I know you needed it—wanted it—and I wanted to but it was—"

John cut off the flow of words with a finger on Rodney's lips. "You did fine and I promise, I won't let you hurt me. I can take a little rough sex sometimes, and it felt amazing."

Rodney blinked twice before his eyes dropped away again. When John lifted his finger, he turned his head, the next words muttered. "And then I couldn't come."

John had a feeling he was missing something. "But... You did come. I felt you."

His next words were barely audible. "But not when you wanted."

John's eyes widened as he realized what Rodney meant. He carefully turned the other man's face to he was looking straight at John. "Rodney... It's okay. Is coming on command hot as hell? Yes. But I'm more concerned with you enjoying what we do than when you come, and this was something you weren't used to. Even when I've had you fuck me before, like you said, I was still in control. This time I asked you to take me from behind and do all the work, and you were more than a little nervous about the whole thing. I'm impressed you managed to stay hard and come at all, given that."

"But—"

"No buts. The fact that you come on command at all is just an accident. I didn't realize I was telling you to come just before you did in the beginning, and yes, I've been making more of a conscious decision to do it now, but I didn't set out to teach you that. Frankly, I'm just glad you're not pissed at me for doing it—a lot of guys wouldn't like the implied power that gives me." John used his thumb to caress Rodney's face. "It really is okay."

"I’m freaking out again, aren't I?"

John smiled. "A little bit. But you're pretty cute when you do it, so I don't mind."

This time the scowl John got in response was such a normal response, he nearly laughed.

To cover, and because he really didn't want to piss his lover off, John leaned down and brushed a kiss across those crooked lips, keeping up the light pressure until he felt the frown melt away. "We really need to get you dressed again and get going. You still okay with meeting them for dinner?"

"We're really late."

"Not that late." John stood up and held a hand out to Rodney. "We should be getting there now, and it's just downstairs. At most, we'll only be about ten minutes late. They'll order some wine or something while they wait."

Nodding, more to himself than to John, Rodney let himself be tugged up to his feet, already turning to his crumpled pile of clothes on the bed.

John snorted, and pulled a fresh, unwrinkled pair of jeans out of the drawer. "Put these on instead." He held his own arms out and did a little twirl once Rodney was dressed again. "How rumpled am I?"

"Comfortably rumpled. Your hair on the other hand…" Rodney's mouth twitched in a smile. "I'm not sure anything can help tame that mess."

John's hand automatically went to his head as he turned to the mirror. He wasn't a vain person—really!—but he was a bit protective of his hair. "How bad is it?" All the nerves from earlier rushed back in.

Rodney tugged him away. "We know what happened the last time you were doing that. Come on, already. I'm hungry."

John allowed himself to be tugged out of the bedroom and out the door, catching Rodney's hand at the elevator as they waited for it. "I want you to like them."

"Why? I'm curious, actually," Rodney said, eyebrow raised, his body finally relaxed once again. "You're not one for a lot of close connections, but you have a few and they're not exactly…mainstream."

John felt the flush start up his neck again. "I... after my Grandmother died, I didn't have much in the way of family. My father is alive, but I haven't talked to him in years. My family became Roger and Sue while I was in California, and then Harry and Peter when I spent some time in Vegas. Both times I needed someone to lean on, and they filled in the gaps. I've kept in touch over the years, although I'm not as good at it as I probably should be."

Rodney snorted as they stepped into the elevator. "So you want me to like them or is it really the other way around?"

"They're the closest thing I have to family, so I want you to like them." John felt like a girl for saying it, but he had promised himself he wouldn't lie to Rodney or sidestep his questions. He cared too much to push his lover away like that, even when it made him sound like an idiot.

"And you're fully aware of my people skills…which is what puzzles me more," Rodney said with a side-long glance.

"Yeah, but that's part of your charm." John gave him a weak grin. "I'm a sick bastard who finds that side of you irresistible.

"And see, that I just don't understand." This time, though, there was a pleased smile on McKay's face.

John lazily swung their entwined hands back and forth between them as they walked to the restaurant. "I'm not entirely sure when snark became sexy, but there you have it. I'm hooked. Once you go genius, you can never go back."

Rodney groaned, shaking his head, the smile fully entrenched on his face. "You are certifiable. You know that, don't you?"

Putting his best dorky look on, John made his eyes go wide and empty. "I'm certifiably in looove."

"You are an idiot," Rodney said laughing as they stepped into the restaurant.

Letting his expression slide back into a grin, John laughed along with him. Rodney had a great laugh, although he didn't use it as often as John thought he should. "I try." He glanced around, spotting Harry and Gaines in a booth not far away. "There they are. And see? They got the wine ordered and everything."

"I see," Rodney said, letting John lead him to the table with a hand in the small of his back.

Smiling as they all said their hellos, John slid a hand to rest on Rodney's leg once they were seated, although he wasn't sure if it was more to comfort Rodney or himself. "Sorry we were late. We got a little hung up in the room."

Rodney's head ducked as Gaines and Harry chuckled knowingly.

John rescued his lover. "So what's new? We didn't get much of a chance to talk last night."

"The same old, same old," Gaines said, taking a sip of his wine. "We haven't killed each other yet, so that's a good thing. We're more interested in what you've been doing, Johnny. Seems like you've been busy."

John shrugged, reflecting that there were only a few people he would let get away with calling him Johnny, and it was only bad luck he was introducing Rodney to all four in the space of a week and a half. "I'm still in the Air Force, still a Major. For the last year I've been working on classified projects, so I can't tell you much about them. That's where I met Rodney though."

"That's…different—especially given the attitude of your profession."

John tried not to fidget. He had gotten a lot of heat from Gaines over the years for the Air Force. He had met them after he was already enlisted, and they hadn't stopped trying to get him to retire. "It's not common knowledge that we're together, for obvious reasons."

"Obviously," Rodney piped up, rolling his eyes. "Our job is dangerous enough as is. We don't need their homophobic reactions on top of that."

"Dangerous?" Harry's eyes went wide. "Johnny what have you been up to?"

John looked over at Rodney, raising an eyebrow. He hadn't paid much attention to all the paperwork he had signed, so other than knowing he shouldn't tell people he fought alien space vampires in another galaxy, he wasn't sure exactly how much he could say.

"What? You think John's crop dusting or something?"

Harry fluttered a bit, and Gaines grinned. Of the two of them, John was pretty sure Peter would be the one to be the most amused by Rodney. "Well, there's danger, and then there's danger, if you get my drift. We've been trying to get this idiot to ditch the military and do something less likely to get him killed for years. Has he gotten any more sense in that spiky head of his?"

"Is that the part of John's job that you have a problem with?" Rodney asked, twirling the wine in his glass. "Because if you're worried about danger, you're probably more apt to be killed walking across a street these days. John's good at what he does."

John felt his eyes go a little wide—he had expected Rodney to agree with them, not defend him. He squeezed the warm leg under his leg, and had to fight down the sudden goofy grin that was threatening to bubble out of him. "Thanks."

Gaines had been watching John rather carefully, and he nodded slightly, apparently happy with what he saw. Then he changed the subject. "So, Rodney, did Johnny ever tell you about the time he lost his pants in a poker game?"

"Literally or figuratively? Because I'm used to seeing John lose his pants."

Gaines grinned wolfishly, and even Harry smirked. Oh god, they were going to haul out every embarrassing story they could think of. John was doomed. He thumped his head against the table and protested weakly.

"Literally," Gaines said. "He was losing spectacularly, and was just tipsy enough to be cocky about getting it back. The guys he was playing with let him wager his pants. He lost, again, but the idiot didn't stop there. By the end of the night, they had gotten him to agree to walk around the strip in nothing but a pair of pink Hello Kitty underwear singing 'I'm a little teapot' at the top of his lungs. Funniest damn thing I've ever seen."

Rodney laughed—a cross between horrified amusement and delighted discovery. "I would pay to have seen that. Have any pictures?"

With an all-too-innocent expression, Gaines pulled something out from between him and Harry. "Oh look, Harry just so happened to bring the photo album. What a coincidence."

John never saw Rodney move as fast as he did now, lunging across the table to grab the album. In less than a minute, he was thumbing through the pictures. "I'm going to need copies," he said, laughing and shaking his head.

John glared at everyone, downing half a glass of wine in one shot. "I can't believe you took pictures of all this shit." He caught a glimpse of a shot of him passed out on a table, wearing nothing but a strategically placed napkin. "When the hell did you take these? I don't even remember half this stuff."

"Of course you don't remember anything. You were drunk," Rodney said, moving the wine glass away from John before turning back to the pictures.

"For the record, they got me drunk by buying me shots and pushing them into my hands, and I am beginning to realize it was for the express purpose of stripping me while I was passed out and taking compromising photos." He thought about reaching for the wine glass again, but considering they were looking at photos all taken when he had been very, very drunk, he decided to play it safe for once in his life.

"Getting you drunk lately only requires you to smell wine, John. Your tolerance is shot to hell because you refuse to drink Zelenka's rotgut."

"If my only choices are sobriety or that piss being passed off as a beverage, I'll swear off alcohol for life." John shuddered at the thought of the one time he had tried Zelenka's brew. Catching raised eyebrows from Harry and Gaines, he shrugged. "Zelenka is another geek we work with. We're a bit cut off from regular supply runs, so the wily Czech built his own still. The stuff he makes in it is disgusting."

"It alcohol," Rodney shrugged, taking a sip of his wine. "You take what you can get sometimes."

"I'd rather go look pathetic in front of Carson and con some of the scotch he keeps stashed somewhere away from him."

Rodney's face closed down a little at John's comment and he leaned the glass on his lip for a moment before tipping it back.

Blinking, replaying the conversation and trying to figure out what he had said wrong, John took Rodney's glass away from him. "Rodney?"

"What?" He looked confused for a minute, holding John's gaze before turning back to Gaines and Harry—both of whom were watching John and Rodney. "So what made you decide to go into the restaurant service industry?"

John let it go for now, sitting back a bit and squeezing Rodney's leg again.

"Ooo!" Harry sat up, his face animating. He liked telling this story. "We were young and in love, and Peter absolutely loves to dance, so we were out at the clubs all the time. Only, back then, our relationship was a bit frowned upon. So after I had to bail Peter out of jail for yet another brawl when someone insulted me, we decided this wasn’t working. We found the building for sale cheap since it was falling down, and got friends to help up fix it up. It started out as a whim, just a place to hang out and listen to music, but over the years our little baby has gotten bigger."

Rodney nodded, obviously thinking back to the club he'd visited. "You could say that. It couldn't have been that easy though."

Before Harry could answer, the waitress popped back up. "Ready to order?" Harry and Gaines quickly told her what they wanted, and John decided on steak this time, then looked over at Rodney.

Rodney waved his hand. "You pick something."

John hummed a bit, before he caught himself and was glad the dim lighting hid his flush—he had been doing that a lot lately. Knowing Rodney's love of good food, he ordered him a steak as well, only his was smothered in cheese, onions, and mushrooms.

John caught the edge of Harry and Peter's raised eyebrows, but Rodney was too busy pouring himself another glass of wine to notice.

John grabbed his own glass and held it out for Rodney to refill. He raised a questioning eyebrow of his own at his friends.

McKay filled the glass about half-way before offering the other two more wine—topping off their glasses and settling back. "You were talking about the bar."

Harry nodded, shooting another look at John that he didn't even want to try and interpret. "We've had our rough times. I've walked out a few times now, and Peter spent one week sleeping on the bar during a rather spectacular fight over cash flow. But in the end everything always seems to work out."

"Huh," Rodney said with a nod, sipping at his wine. The conversation the rest of the evening went well, both Gaines and Harry sharing other embarrassing moments in John's past which elicited laughs and chuckles from Rodney. Toward the end of the evening, Rodney excused himself to run to the men's room—the wine finally catching up with him.

As soon as Rodney stepped away, Harry leaned forward. "Okay, spill before he gets back. What is it with you two?"

John blinked, the wine he had drunk making him feel pleasantly buzzed. "What do you mean?"

Gaines raised an eyebrow. "We've been watching the two of you and this is a little different dynamic that I'm used to seeing."

"At the risk of sounding like a broken record, what do you mean? We're together."

"You ordered dinner for him and he let you—which amazes me based on what we've seen of him."

"Oh. That. Um... That's kinda new. He's only done it one other time. Or I guess let me do it. Last night actually." John studied the wine swirling around his glass, refusing to raise his eyes.

"John, have you gone all dom on us?" Harry asked, his voice knowing.

John knew he was blushing again, hard enough this time for them to see it. "It's always been there. Rodney's the first one who's ever... He's mine, Harry. And I'll do whatever it takes to keep him."

"Hot damn! We were right!" Gaines said with a pleased laugh, reaching over to pat John on his back.

John reached out for his glass, needing another sip of wine. The light caught the ring he was wearing, and he saw both his friends eyes go directly to it.

"We definitely need to celebrate," Harry said, already ushering over the waitress.

"Celebrate?" John looked up weakly. "We're not actually, um, married. We can't be, because of the AF. But we did, you know, sign papers. He's my official next of kin."

"Close enough," Gaines answered as Harry talked quickly to the waitress, his hands gesturing widely. "And besides, it'll give something for Harry to fuss about. He's been complaining about not having a hobby. I think you and Rodney may have just become his new interest."

"Oh..." John said, a bit lost. He had never been the focus of their attention like this, at least not when it came to relationships. "Um, you do know we're only in town for another week or so. Then we have to head back..."

"We know. Harry will need your schedule for the next few days I imagine," Gaines said as Harry excused himself to walk off with the waitress just as Rodney was returning. With a raised eyebrow, he sat down, eyeing John with curiosity.

"Why does it not surprise me that I seem to have missed something?"

"Our schedule?" John heard his voice crack a bit on the last syllable. He cleared his throat and edged closer to his lover. "Ah, I mean... Rodney?"

"John? What's going on?"

"I think we just became Harry's new hobby..."

"What!" he replied, eyes wide. It was only John's hand on his arm that prevented him from leaping to his feet. "What are you doing? I leave you alone for five minutes—"

"We might be, ah, celebrating. Now. Our, um," John held up his hand and wiggled his ring finger. "I told them we hadn't said any vows, but we did sign the paperwork, and we're married in all but the actual 'I dos', so Harry decided, um, that we needed to celebrate."

"Celebrate?"

John looked over at Gaines, who was sitting back and silently laughing at John's discomfort. "What's Harry planning, and should we start running now?"

"I have no idea. I've found that it's best to let him do his thing. Hurts less in the long run."

John reached blindly for his wine glass, a bit disconcerted to find it empty, and wishing for something harder. "Um, we don't really need to make a big fuss. Rodney and I are...low key kinds of guys..."

Harry fluttered in a moment later, a broad smile on his face. "We're having dinner again in three nights. Are you busy? If so, we can re-arrange those plans. This is going to be fantastic."

John looked at him and then looked over at Rodney. "I... Rodney? I wouldn't mind...I mean this is all kinda taking me by surprise, but..." He silently begged his lover to humor his friends. He knew how devastated Harry would be if they didn't let him do this—now that he was over his initial shock, John realized the two of them had probably been waiting years for him to find someone.

Rodney looked about how John felt—shell-shocked and a little pale. "I…just what were you…are you…planning?"

John looked over at a very amused Gaines and a smug Harry. He tilted his head in a silent inquiry, at the same time finding Rodney's hand under the table and linking their fingers.

Rodney held on tightly, a little desperately.

Harry waved his hand in the air—John knew he loved flustering people sometimes. "Oh, nothing huge. Dinner for us and a few others I know will be just so happy for you Johnny, and who will very much want to meet you, Rodney. Afterwards, we'll head over to the club, close it down for a private party and play all your favorites."

"A few others? Close it down?"

Since that was going to be John's next question, he nodded. "What he said."

"Oh, we can afford to close the club every now and then. Usually it's for catered parties, but this time, it will be for you guys! I know Johnny always liked to come for the 70s and 80s night, and the jazz and blues night, so we'll make sure to play lots of that stuff. I have a few people I want to invite—you like to believe you're a misfit Johnny, but there are quite a few of us who take a proprietary interest in your life. We've followed your career as much as possible, so it will be nice for everyone to see just how fabulous you're doing!"

"Followed my…" John felt his eyes widen. He was starting to feel a little gob smacked. "Gaines…?"

"Of course we've followed your career. We might not approve of it, but we're not going to let that stand in our way of keeping an eye on you."

Considering he had actively avoided them when he had been in Vegas after the black mark, he felt his chest jump. Did they know... Something on his face must have shown, because Rodney squeezed his hands again, and Gaines and Harry both leaned forward to pat him on the shoulders.

"You did what you thought was right, John," Gaines said carefully. "We don't know everything, but we know you and that's all that matters."

That he had people who cared about him to that degree was... it was a little overwhelming. He had always considered himself to be alone, with a few people he got close to occasionally, but mostly on his own, forgotten when he wasn't actively around. To find out differently was... He smiled a bit shyly. "Thank you. I... Wow."

Rodney squeezed his hand and leaned forward. "So about this…thing. Is it really necessary?"

Harry smiled big enough to encompass both of them. "Are parties ever really necessary? However, you do need to celebrate. I understand the stupid people who run the military will force you to take your relationship back into hiding when you leave here. Let us help you revel in it for a bit. I promise, I will try not to meddle too much with your plans." He beamed at them.

John was actually surprised when Rodney nodded. "Okay."

Without really thinking about it, John reached around and pulled Rodney into a kiss, licking his way along the seam of his lover's mouth until it opened for him. When he pulled back, both of them breathing a little heavy, he realized Harry and Gaines were both grinning like maniacs.

Rodney turned red, his eyes dropping a little.

"So, in three days, we'll meet you here for dinner, then head over to the club for the party. I'll make pie for you, Rodney dear." Harry bounced a bit in his seat.

John chuckled as Rodney blushed harder, his mind probably going back to last night and what happened with the last pie.

Gaines took pity on them. "All right children, we'll let you finish out your evening in peace. I'll call your cell with all the details Johnny, as soon as I have them."

They took the opportunity to flee—gracefully—and John found himself grinning madly at Rodney and having very satisfying sex that night.

The following day they bummed around the strip, and John talked with the concierge desk to arrange for a night at a hotel at the Grand Canyon. It was too far to drive on a day trip. They would stay there Tuesday night, and drive back for the party on Wednesday.

Waking up early Tuesday morning, leaving Rodney secured to the bed as he went for a jog, John chuckled to himself anew over the show they saw last night—Penn & Teller. It had been goofy fun, which they had both needed. But, as always, it didn't take long for his thoughts to stray back to Rodney.

The subtle changes John had started noticing Saturday had gotten stronger in his lover. Rodney was making a conscious effort to submit, and as a result was far more relaxed than John had ever seen him. He was falling into the headspace faster, and staying in it longer, which made John's chest ache in a pleasant way.

Thinking about the drive they would be taking today—it was a good six hours in the car probably—John wondered… Rodney had liked being taken deep into headspace, and John had promised to let him fall into it and stay there as long as he wanted. Maybe Rodney would want to make the drive in sub-space? It would be, John admitted to himself, pretty hot.

Ignoring the gaggle of females who always seemed to be next to the elevator after his morning jog—he wore a shirt every day now—John went back upstairs, happy to find Rodney still dozing. Shimmying out of his sweats, he stretched out alongside his lover, running a hand over the hairy chest. "Hey. Time to get up sleepy."

"Hmmm?" Rodney yawned, lifting his bound hands over his head as he stretched the muscles in his body.

"I have an idea for the drive today, but I want to hear what you think first."

That got Rodney's attention and he opened his eyes, looking at John. "An idea? This early in the morning? You must have been thinking about it for a while then." He shifted a little, turning onto his side, his hands pulled toward his chest, head propped on the pillow.

"I thought of it while I was jogging." John idly rubbed circles around one of Rodney's nipples. "We're just driving out to the canyon today. I was thinking, if you wanted to try spending the day in headspace, I could help you find it here, then try to keep you there for the drive. You'd stay in the car—even if we needed to stop for things, like lunch, I could go get it and bring it back to you."

"Like in public?"

"Semi-public. I'd have to help you get down to the car, and I'm guessing at some point we'd have to find a bathroom for you to relieve yourself along the way, but mostly it would just be you and me in the car." John caught Rodney's wide blue eyes and held them. "I know how uncomfortable the thought of doing this in public makes you, so I didn't know if you would be okay with trying this. It's okay if you don't want to."

"I…" Rodney started, but broke off, lips pursed in thought. John let him think at his own pace, not pushing, waiting to see what he'd say, decide. "I…I really like the idea. I'm just…concerned about the out in public aspect of it."

Nodding, John wiggled closer, pushing the length of his body firmly against Rodney's. "I figured that would be the hardest part for you. Once you were in the car, though, no one would really know. I'd have the ankle and wrist cuffs on you, and probably clip your hands together while we drive, but no one looking in would be able to see that. I would want you to wear the harness under your clothes, but again, no one looking in would know you had it on. Basically, the only time anyone would really see you would be the walk from here down to the car, any bathroom stops, and the walk from the car to the room we're staying in tonight."

"And how would those…work exactly?"

"Bathroom breaks? That would depend on how deep I can help you stay in the headspace. If you're in deep enough, I'll just find someplace rural and without a lot of people and walk you in and take care of you. If you're a little more aware, I'll still find someplace quiet, and wait for you outside the restroom."

"And the hotel transfers?"

"I'll have the bags, and be holding your hand guiding you. You won't be restrained in any way anytime we're actually out of the car, but in it..."

"In it I would be," Rodney nodded, eyes on John's shoulder.

"Yes. You generally start to slide into headspace when I have you restrained, and out of it when I let you loose. I'm not sure I could give you what you need to stay there all day without restraining you in the car."

Rodney was quiet, obviously thinking it over, running the various possibilities and situations through his mind. It was a big step, John knew, but he thought it was something McKay would like.

"How far down do you think you can keep me?"

John gave his lover the benefit of thinking it through, and not jumping into an answer. "Probably pretty deep, if you go with it. If you're nervous about the whole thing, though, I'm not sure. If nothing else, you'll be a lot more relaxed than usual."

"How long?"

"The drive is about six hours, depending on how many stops we take, and how many times I stop to ravish you. We'll need to get you lunch somewhere in there, but I'll park and go grab something, then feed it to you so you won't have to come up far for it."

"How about the before and after?"

John smiled, kissing Rodney's shoulder. "This is the before. I'll make sure we both come hard enough to take the edge off, and help you find headspace, then get us dressed and packed and down to the car to go. After, I'll probably leave you in the car while I check us in and then get us upstairs the same way I get you down this morning. And then I will fuck you to within an inch of your life, because I'm pretty sure by then I'll, at least, be so turned on it will hurt."

"And this is something you want, too?"

John considered his response carefully. He really didn't want Rodney to feel pressured to do this. "I think, if you can let yourself go enough to get into it, you will really enjoy it. And you in that soft, subby place turns me on pretty strongly, so yes."

Rodney skimmed his finger over John's chest, running it in circles, lightly threading through the hair. "Okay."

John didn't even try to hide the hard twitch his dick gave. "You're sure? I want to try this, but I don't want you to do it if you aren't comfortable."

"I want you, John Sheppard. I want this." Rodney leaned forward, closing his eyes as his lips met John's in a sweet, soft kiss.

Knowing that if he was going to give Rodney the experience his lover deserved, John would need to find his own toppy headspace for the day, he broke the kiss softly, reaching up to pull the straps holding Rodney's hands as tight as they would go, securing his lover's arms. "I love you." He set about strapping down Rodney's legs; taking a deep breath, he paused mid-way through. "For the day, unless I tell you otherwise, call me Sir."

Rodney's mouth twitched up in a smirk, but he nodded. "Yes, sir."

John jerked, but channeled the spike of lust into a need to give Rodney this day. When he was fully in his own headspace, John could and did ignore his own erection. He had a feeling he was going to have to put that to the test today. Once Rodney was secured, John fished the blindfold and gag out of the dresser, putting both on his lover. They would have to come off before they left the room, but for now it would help Rodney relax. "Let go for me. Give up control and just trust me to take care of you."

Rodney moaned around the gag, hands clenching and unclenching, tugging at the restraints, before his body slowly melted into the bed.

John touched, trailing his fingers over sensitive skin, but deliberately avoiding Rodney's nipples, dick, and ass. He wanted his lover to relax, to just feel.

His lover moaned as John's hands danced over his skin, Rodney's body trembling and squirming under his touch. Piece by piece, John watched as Rodney slowly let go, the sounds deeper, more primal, more real, unleashed without thought, just a reaction to John's touch.

Once he knew Rodney had reached a certain headspace, he started adding tweaks to nipples, a nail dragged along the vein on the underside of his cock, a finger teasing at his opening. John interspersed these with more light caresses, placed at random along Rodney's body.

With the light sheen of sweat on his body, Rodney was beautiful—whimpering, squirming, and bound—all for him.

John touched the tip of the now-leaking cock, a fierce surge of pride and satisfaction going through him when Rodney shuddered, but didn't come. "You have no idea what you do to me, what you look like when you're like this."

Rodney rolled his head to the side, toward John, as if he could see the other man through the blindfold, his moan long and deep as John teased his cock.

"Don't come. You can't tell me with the gag in if it's getting to be too much, so you're just going to have to hold it in. You will be allowed release, but I want you to wait until I tell you to."

A whimpered sob was John's answer a moment before Rodney nodded in understanding, but it didn't stop his body from trembling or the muffled moans from spilling out of his gagged mouth.

Trailing a finger down the throbbing, red cock, John fondled the soft balls of his lover, then let his finger work its way down again, pushing just the tip inside. With his other hand, John circled a nipple, never letting it reach the actual nub—until he penetrated Rodney, when he flicked it once before going back to circling.

McKay keened at the sensations, arching is back in an effort to get more sensation before dropping back against the bed, his breath coming hard, the moans and happy noises nearly constant.

John pulled his finger away and then quietly went to the dresser where he had pulled out one of the dildos. Knowing Rodney was loose and open from all the sex they had been having, John coated it with lube and slowly pushed it inside his lover until it was completely buried inside him.

The long keening moan was enough for John to know that Rodney was very, very happy and turned on—that and his angry, red, and leaking cock.

Instead of pulling the dildo out and fucking Rodney with it, John began to turn it slowly.

Rodney's back arched and he groaned, shifting as if he could get away from John, but the bindings held him in place, kept him exactly where John wanted him. God, Rodney was so responsive.

Panting himself, John slowly began to pull the dildo out, turning as he did. When only the tip was still inside Rodney's body, he reversed the direction, twisting it in the opposite direction, angling it to stimulate his prostate the entire time.

Rodney shuddered hard, howling around the gag in a way John hadn't heard since he'd used the earplugs. The howl turned to a sobbing moan as John slid the dildo deeper inside, turning and twisting as he went.

John continued to tease for several more minutes, moving with excruciating slowness as he fucked Rodney with the toy, not touching his lover anywhere else, or with anything else, so all Rodney had to focus on was the way it felt moving in and out of his ass.

Moaning and whimpered, Rodney had finally stopped squirming, letting John do as he pleased to bring him higher and higher.

Finally taking pity on him, John slowly withdrew the toy one last time, this time pulling it completely free of his lover's body. John quickly coated himself and slid home, moaning along with Rodney as the tight heat welcomed him, clung to him.

Rodney tugged at his arms as if the bonds would suddenly release him but then he relaxed completely under John, and Sheppard could almost hear the unspoken chat "so full, so good," Rodney usually said when John slid in deep, filing him completely.

His body shaking with the effort, John kept up the same maddeningly slow pace he had used with the dildo for as long as he could. When he could feel his orgasm starting to pool at the base of his spine, he gasped and picked it up, thrusting harder and faster into Rodney's welcoming body. "Now."

Moaning long and low, John felt Rodney clench down on him and suddenly he was spilling between them, coating their stomachs as John continued to ride Rodney's orgasm. The sensation pulled him over the edge a moment later and he was pumping into Rodney, filling him.

Taking a moment to collapse on top of Rodney, John let pleasure wash through his body. With a tingle of anticipation that this was only the beginning of the day, however, he slowly pulled out and rolled off. He left Rodney as he was, and went to go find a washcloth.

After cleaning himself up, he padded back across the floor to the bed, gently cleaning Rodney's chest and ass, his lover limp and sated, humming in contentment.

Kissing what was visible of Rodney's cheek, he left him there, and started up a running commentary of what he was doing. "Right now I'm going to get dressed and get us packed. When I untie you, I'm going to dress you and we'll be leaving immediately after that."

Rodney's hands flexed as he rolled his head to the side toward John, simply breathing, his entire body relaxed.

Pulling on a comfortable pair of jeans and tee-shirt, John packed each of them a change of clothes, toiletries, and a few of their toys—he cleaned the dildo he had used and put that in, along with the crystal plug Rodney could wear all day. A full tube of lube was added to the bag, and on top went a set of restraints meant to be used under a bed or on a door frame—John could use them in the car and not have to worry about damage.

For Rodney, he pulled out the prisoner belt and chest harness, which could both be worn under clothing. Loosening the straps holding him down enough to give John some room, both were quickly buckled on. Rodney hadn’t worn the belt yet—it had a cock ring that would ensure there was no coming until John was ready for it again, and an inflatable plug. For now, he filled it with just enough air using the pump to make sure Rodney knew it was in. The pump went on top of the bag for later.

Shifting slightly, Rodney moaned and bucked a little at the new sensations and John watched as he settled, adjusting to everything before he continued preparing his lover.

He dug out a pair of Rodney's baggy khaki pants, and a loose button-down shirt. Starting with his legs, John unhooked the straps from the cuffs and pulled on his lover's pants—no boxers. He planned to unzip them in the car, so he had access to that beautiful cock all day. Boxers would only get in the way.

After socks and shoes, Rodney's arms were next, and John carefully buttoned the shirt, stepping back to make sure the harness and belt weren't visible to the casual eye. John then sat on the bed and ran a single finger along Rodney's jaw. "I'm going to take these off you in a moment for the walk to the car."

Rodney hummed his acknowledgement, the response slow, but coherent enough that John knew his lover understood.

The gag was first, and John leaned in for a deep kiss as soon as it was free. When he came up for air, he pulled the blindfold free, suddenly wanting to see those beautiful blue eyes, see what Rodney was really thinking.

God. John sucked in a breath as soon as his eyes met Rodney's—all dark, sated, and deeply aroused.

Dropping his voice to a whisper, John caressed Rodney's face again. "It's time to go. Come with me."

Rodney let John sit him upright, his entire body relaxed and pliable in a way that John never associated with Rodney when he was conscious.

Quickly tossing both gag and blindfold in the duffle along with several other toys—just in case—he zipped it up and held out his other hand, pulling Rodney to his feet, letting the other man lean against him heavily. He whispered to his lover as they moved across the living room. "So good, Rodney. You're so perfect. Just like this. I want you just like this all day, loose and relaxed, and so fucking beautiful."

With one arm around Rodney and the overnight bag in his other hand, they left the suite slowly, catching the elevator and walking through the lobby at a constant pace—not too fast, not too slow. He'd have to feed Rodney something for breakfast, but it could wait until they were on the road.

The valets had taken to keeping their car parked right out front—he had a feeling they just wanted to look at it as much as possible, and maybe show it off a little. When they saw him, one tossed him the keys, grinning at Rodney's dazed, happy smile. John got his lover settled in the passenger seat, then walked around, tossing the duffle in the back where he could reach it. The dark tint on the windows prevented casual observation, so John started the car, then took a moment to clip Rodney's hands together with a lock in front of his body. The rest would wait until they were out of town a bit. "We're leaving now."

Closing his eyes, Rodney hummed and leaned back against the seat, letting John pull the seatbelt over him, clipping it into place.

Taking off, John ran them through a McDonalds on the edge of town, getting food that would be easy to hand-feed Rodney, and a small coffee for each of them. As soon as they were out of the main city, John found an empty parking lot and pulled over, shutting off the car. He held the coffee up to Rodney's lips. "After breakfast I'm going to get you a bit more secure. I wanted to get us out from under curious eyes first though."

Rodney nodded, eyes still closed, opening his mouth when John pressed food to his lips, eating and drinking until he was finished, John eating his own in between hand-feeding bites to Rodney.

Once that was done, John hopped out of the car to throw away the trash. When he got back, he pulled out the restraints and used the engineering skills he had picked up from watching and listening to Rodney and Radek, and managed to get a pretty secure set-up.

Pulling off Rodney's shoes, the ankle straps were run under the seat. He unbuttoned Rodney’s shirt, and attached straps to the o-ring on the harness, one from each side of the seat. Also coming from each side of the seat, John secured Rodney’s hands, tightening everything so his lover would be comfortable, but wouldn’t be able to move much. He put the seat into a reclining position, and opened Rodney’s pants, pulling his cock out and stroking it a few times to get it hard—the ring would ensure his lover didn’t come.

John looked at the gag and blindfold, and decided to forego them for now. With one last check to make sure everything was secure, he went back around to his side of the car and got them started again. “If we get pulled over, I’m going to be arrested for kidnapping. And you know what? Seeing you like this would be so worth it.”

Rodney moaned shifting in the passenger seat, the bonds holding exactly as John wanted, not too tight, but very secure.

Once they were on the highway, the drive was pretty easy. John set the cruise control so he wouldn't be tempted to speed, and amused himself by fondling Rodney pretty much continuously. A brush of thumb across the head of Rodney's dick earned John moans. Tweaks to nipples brought whimpers. Caresses to Rodney's face got him sighs of contentment. John was hard as hell. "You know, I think I may have to stop soon and figure out how to fuck you without untying you. I'm thinking if I lie the seat all the way down and put the top down, I'll have enough room to maneuver—you can use that clever mouth of yours on me and instead of breakfast lingering in your mouth, you'll have me."

Rodney moaned low in his throat, turning his head to John, his eyes dark with need and arousal.

John was getting painfully hard. He waited until there was a slight turn off, taking the car off the main highway. They hadn't seen any other cars yet, but he really didn't want to take the chance. Putting the top down, John maneuvered until Rodney's seat was almost flat, and he was straddling his lover. Leaning down, John pressed open kisses all along his neck and collarbone. "You aren't going to come, not right now. I like looking over and seeing you hard and leaking. You will come today, but not until later."

Whimpering, Rodney nodded his understanding, as John took his mouth—tasting breakfast and Rodney.

When Rodney had relaxed into the seat, John pulled off and climbed up, wiggling around a bit to line his cock up with Rodney's face. It was a bit of an awkward position—but he really wanted this. When Rodney opened his mouth eagerly, licking at the head of John's dick, he moaned, unable to stop himself from pushing in a little bit.

Rodney took him in eagerly, using his teeth and tongue he teased him, adding a suction and vibration to send John higher.

John was getting close embarrassingly fast. "Rodney... oh god.. I'm going to... soon..."

Moaning around John's cock, Rodney continued sucking and teasing him, until finally John was coming, spilling down his lover's throat, McKay drinking him down eagerly.

Since his usual collapse after orgasm would probably result in one or both of them hurting something sensitive, John pulled out of Rodney's mouth slowly, letting him lick off the come. He managed to get himself back into his own seat before he went boneless. "You give fantastic blowjobs. I know I've told you that before, but it bears repeating."

"Hmm," Rodney replied, a soft smile on his face as he turned toward John.

John leveraged himself up to steal another kiss from Rodney, humming happily as he tasted himself. It was dirty in all the right ways. When he finally got them both settled again and back on the road, he let one hand rest on Rodney's thigh, just needing the connection.

They sped through the desert the silence covering the two of them like a blanket. The sounds of Rodney's moans and soft sighs as John teased him, played with him, were more than enough to carry them forward.

Around 1300, John realized he was getting hungry, which meant Rodney needed to eat soon. "I'm going to start looking for an out-of-the-way diner or something—someplace I can run in and get us lunch."

"'kay," Rodney whispered.

Glancing over, John had to smile. "How you doing?"

"Mmm…'kay."

Grinning to himself, John didn't bother to try and suppress the surge of possessiveness the dreamy look on Rodney's face sent through him. They drove a little further when John spotted a tiny roadside diner. "Hey. I'm going to go pop in there and see about getting us food." He quickly tucked his lover's bits and pieces away, and unhooked his hands—just in case. "Do you need to use the restroom?"

"Might be a good idea."

With a nod, John got out and quickly unhooked the remaining clasps, making sure Rodney was presentable before helping him out of the car. "Need help, or meet me back here?"

It took a few beats before Rodney replied, shaking his head a little. John was watching as Rodney pulled himself out of sub-space. "I…I'll be okay."

Brushing a kiss across Rodney's lips, John squeezed his hand as they started for the small restaurant. He leaned in close enough to whisper into Rodney's ear. "Don't come up too far. I like you like this."

"Need to function…"

"I know. But just enough to relieve yourself and get back to the car. Once we get there, I'll help you go back down again."

Rodney nodded, but John could already tell that he was up pretty far.

"It shouldn't take me long to get us some lunch. Meet you back at the car in about ten minutes."

John watched him go, admiring the wicked walk-away his lover had. Shaking his head a little to get himself in the right headspace, John wandered up to the counter, guessing chicken fingers and fries would probably be the easiest thing on the menu to feed Rodney, even if it wasn’t the healthiest.

The waitress and the other lone patron both gave him leery looks, so John assumed they had seen how close he and Rodney had been when they walked in. Glad they weren’t staying long, he put in their order to-go, and leaned against the counter to wait.

The food came fairly quickly, along with one large soda John figured they could share. He made his way back out to the car, smiling to find Rodney already there, leaning back into the seat with his eyes closed, although the passenger door was open. “Hey. Ready to get hooked back in?”

Rodney's voice was level. "Not here."

"Okay." John handed him the food, then slipped into the driver's seat, starting the car and pulling out immediately. "Everything okay?"

"Let's just say the bathroom and kitchen aren't that far apart and the cook has a very interesting sense of entitlement and a desire to share his opinions with the food or whoever else happens to be within hearing distance."

Raising an eyebrow, John glanced over. "Opinions?"

"Fucking faggots," he said, the words dripping with disdain.

Sighing, John reached over to rest a hand on Rodney's leg. "He's just a worthless cook working in an out-of-the-way diner in the middle of nowhere. His opinion doesn't matter."

Rodney put his hand on top of John's as they pulled into a rest stop, toward the deserted end. "Doesn't mean I didn't hear him."

Once the car was stopped, John leaned over and captured Rodney's mouth in a deep kiss. "I know. But don't let one small-minded idiot ruin your day. There are people who don't approve of us loving each other—tough shit for them. All I care about it you and what you think."

"I think he ruined a perfectly good day in sub-space."

John kissed him again. "He doesn't have to. Trust me; let me give you something else to think about."

Rodney sighed into John's mouth before pulling back. "I do trust you."

"Good." John mouthed his way down Rodney's neck, sucking a little on the steel collar, licking under it to sample the taste of Rodney mixed in with the metal.

McKay's hands were on his body, sliding under his shirt, distracting him.

John pushed his hips down, grinding them into Rodney, gasping. He had forgotten Rodney wasn't tied down this time.

"Watch the food," Rodney warned, words whispered against John's skin.

"Mmmm." John arched into Rodney's hands a bit. He found the coordination to get his lover's shirt open, starting his own nipple assault.

Moaning, Rodney arched into John's touch, his own hands pausing in their exploration, the food forgotten on the floor between Rodney's feet.

With a fierce grin, John went on the attack, kissing, nipping, and licking along Rodney's neck and shoulders. He continued to fondle a nipple, working the other hand between them to work on Rodney's pants.

When John's hand connected with Rodney's cock, his body trembled and he moaned again, hands clutching at John's sides, simply trying to hold on.

Slowly, John caressed Rodney, bringing him to full hardness in a gratifyingly short period of time. He felt around the cock ring, feeling for the catch that would release it without taking off the belt it was attached to. Finding it, John released Rodney's dick. "Don't come just yet, but I am going to let you in a few minutes."

"God…so hard…" Rodney whispered, panting.

"Feel the plug? That's where I want to be right now. Wish I was balls-deep in your ass, all that hot, slick tightness. I'm going to make it bigger before we leave, before I tie you back down. You're going to feel it the rest of the trip, and think about me fucking you hard and fast. I won't give you a chance to recover—I'll use the dildo and keep fucking so slow you'll be hard again and sobbing for release."

McKay moaned, arms wrapping around John, pulling him closer.

John used his chest to caress, rubbing the material of his shirt against Rodney's sensitive nipples while he continued the almost lazy strokes on his lover's dick. "The dildo I brought vibrates. Once you've come a second time, I'll leave it in, just inside you, vibrating. You'll be tied to the bed, so there won't be a damn thing you can do about it, and that's when I'll lick you, taste you all over, until you get hard a third time, when I'll blow you to within an inch of your life."

Leaning up, Rodney captured John's mouth in a wet and dirty kiss, moaning and whimpering into it before opening his mouth and letting John in.

What he did to Rodney's mouth could only be called plundering. When Rodney was panting into his mouth, John wiggled his way down—it was incredibly awkward, and he had to move the food, but he managed to get his mouth around Rodney's erection. He couldn't take his lover all the way due to the angle, so he settled for teasing along the head and slit, still using his hand to jack him off.

Moaning and squirming, Rodney was giving himself up for John with a simple abandon John loved.

Finding a nipple with his other hand, John pinched and squeezed. He pulled off long enough to tell Rodney to come, then went back to his sucking, gratified when his mouth was immediately filled. He swallowed it all down, licking to make sure Rodney was clean before slithering back up his lover's body, taking a certain amount of satisfaction that the happy, spaced-out look was back on Rodney's face. "Hey."

"Hmm," Rodney hummed, a clearly content and post-coital expression on his face.

Kissing him lightly, John took advantage of Rodney's relaxation. He snagged the pump for the plug, getting a few more puffs of air into it, stopping when Rodney moaned, his body arching a little. John then quickly re-attached all the clips, strapping Rodney back into the seat. As a final touch, John grabbed the blindfold and slipped it on, reducing Rodney to the feel and sound of John.

Moaning deep in his throat, Rodney tried to shift in the seat, but the bonds held him tightly. He tugged a few times before finally relaxing, his body melting into the seat, a purr of contentment rumbling in his chest.

John kissed him again, softly. Knowing they did need to eat, he stayed half draped across Rodney, but grabbed the food, pulling out a French fry and running it across Rodney's lips until his lover opened them, taking the food.

John fed Rodney lunch, splitting the food between the two of them. When they were finished, John jumped out, dumping the trash in a nearby garbage can before returning to the car.

Rodney had relaxed completely into the seat, and was humming aimlessly to himself. John grinned as he started the car, slipping his hand back onto Rodney's leg. Before he pulled out, he looked over his lover again, reaching down to re-attach the cock ring. He also dug in the duffle and pulled out the nipple clamps, putting them on the lowest setting.

Rodney bit back a yelp, whimpering instead from the pressure, the sound quickly turning to pleasure as his body was flooded with endorphins.

Pulling back out onto the highway, John tried to get his own erection under control—Rodney was so fucking hot like this. "We're about half-way there, maybe a little more. So just sit back and relax." John resumed his light play from before, touching everything he could reach on Rodney's body.

Moaning and humming in contentment and pleasure, John could feel Rodney falling further and further into headspace once again, his body becoming pliable, relaxed in a way that only existed when Rodney was in deep.

John let out a silent sigh of relief. He really hadn't been sure he could take Rodney this deep again this fast, not when he was upset over what that bigot had said. John fondled his lover, thanking whatever karmic forces he had pleased to give him such an amazing man to share his life.

Rodney moaned deeply as John teased the head of his very erect cock, his finger playing with the tip, adding nail occasionally to vary the sensation, loving how responsive his lover was. Using the pre-come on his finger, he moved up to one of Rodney's nipples, the slick liquid helping him to play, giving him a little less friction, but plenty of pressure.

John set cruise control again because if the urge to go fast had been strong earlier, now it was even worse. He wanted to get to the hotel where he could fuck his lover over and over and over again until Rodney couldn't stand the next day.

He got lost in the road and Rodney, running his hands over whatever skin he could reach, stroking, caressing, playing, and teasing, listening to the contented sighs and moans, the whimpers when John squeezed him or tweaked a nipple just so.

He was a little surprised when he spotted the sign declaring their hotel was at the next exit, in just a few more miles. Wow. There weren't really any secluded spots out here, but he hadn't seen any other cars in a while, so he took a chance and pulled over. "Rodney? We're almost to the hotel, so I'm going to unhook the straps and get everything put away."

"Mmm," Rodney replied, the sound low and deep.

Getting out of the car and walking around, John carefully removed the straps, stowing them back in the duffle. He got Rodney's clothes back in order, and with a deep kiss, removed the blindfold. His lover's hands he left hooked together—in his lap no one would see, and John could release them when they got there.

Once he was back in the car, he pulled back onto the road, the hotel coming into view a few minutes later. Now was the interesting part, he needed to check them in, but the whole check-in lobby thing might be a little jarring. Maybe if Rodney would stay in the car…he could just tell the valet Rodney was sleeping and he'd be back in a minute to get him inside. That might work.

"Hey. Close your eyes for me and just breathe deep. I'm going to check us in and tell the valet you're sleeping and to just leave you alone for a minute." John released the last lock on Rodney's hands, and leaned over for a quick, light kiss.

"Mmm…'kay," Rodney said, a soft smile on his face.

Slipping out of the car, John kept his voice low as he explained the only slight lie to the man who came to take the keys. Given how relaxed and content Rodney looked, the man grinned and nodded, motioning for the few others in the area to keep it down. Darting inside, John was grateful there was no line. He'd had to give his dick a hard talking-to before getting out of the car, but the thought of Rodney and what they would be doing very soon now was making it twitch. "Hello, I have a reservation for tonight under the name Sheppard."

The clerk nodded, already typing away at the computer keys. "Yes, sir. We have you in a suite. Is that correct?"

He nodded. "It is. With a view, right?"

"Yes. One of the nicest. I'll just need to see some ID."

Feeling around his pockets, John found his wallet and pulled out his military ID. "This work?"

"That's fine, sir," she said, eyes drifting between the ID, his face, and the reservation. "Thank you, sir." A moment later he had a welcome package with a map of the hotel and his keys on the desk before him. "You're room is on the top floor. The elevators are around to the left. You'll need to use your key to access the top floor. Enjoy your stay."

"Thanks!" John pocketed everything and went back out to the car, relieved to see Rodney still in the passenger seat, still looking blissed out. Having his lover out of his sight while he was this deep had made John a little twitchy. He went to one knee next to the door, setting a hand on Rodney's thigh. "Hey. We're checked in and we can head up to the room now."

"'kay," he said, slowly opening his eyes, blue fixed intently on John.

Giving Rodney an encouraging smile, John reached a hand down to help his lover stand, grabbing the duffle with the other hand. "It's not far, just to the elevator and up to our room, then you can collapse in bed." John had to fight down a giggle how at the valets were all nodding, not realizing that Rodney wasn't going to be actually sleeping in said bed any time in the near future.

"Bed…would be good," he whispered, leaning into John and Sheppard could feel the wrist cuff where Rodney's arm wrapped around his back.

Swallowing hard, John got them moving as fast as Rodney could manage, sparing a thought to be amazed at how deep Rodney was staying this time. Unlike the first walk down to the car, or the pit-stop, this time Rodney was barely surfacing, had come up just enough to be able to walk with John guiding him. He had never been so grateful for fast elevators in his life. "Hey, we're here," John told his lover as he managed to juggle man, bag, and key and get the door open.

Rodney hummed, his half-open eyes taking in the new surroundings. "Nice."

"It's got a view too, but we'll check that out later. Right now, I really, really need to fuck you."

McKay turned in John's arms, tilting his head so he could look at John. "Please, sir." He opened his mouth as he leaned in to kiss John.

John backed them both up until Rodney was against the wall, kissing rough and desperate. He needed to be inside his lover right now. Growling, he stripped the shirt off Rodney's frame, and fumbled at his pants, shoving them down. The keys to the belt had been stuffed in his pocket, so John quickly got it unhooked, deflating the plug so it could be pulled out.

Rodney moaned as the plug slid out of his ass, hands clutching at John's sides, eyes closed tightly together.

Stripping away the leather, leaving his lover in nothing but the chest harness and cuffs, John moaned a little himself. "Go get on the bed. On your hands and knees. I want to fuck you hard."

Nodding, Rodney opened his eyes, gaze drifting around the room until he found the door to the bedroom. Pushing off from the wall, he moved slowly, hand trailing along the wall as he walked.

John took a moment to admire, then fumbled through the bag for the lube. He stripped as he made his own way to the bedroom, peeling off clothes and leaving them wherever they dropped. By the time he made it to Rodney, he was naked and panting at the sight before him. "You're perfect. So fucking perfect..."

"Need you…" Rodney whispered, head hanging down between his arms as he kneeled on all fours in the middle of the king-sized bed.

Slicking himself up, John climbed up and immediately slid home, something inside him unclenching as he did so, grateful the plug had kept Rodney loose enough to take him with no prep.

Rodney groaned, body trembling. "So good…so full…"

Too far gone to do careful and slow, John adjusted his angle and pounded into Rodney's body, claiming him, reasserting his control. It didn't take long to push him close to the edge. "Come."

With a choked-off yell, Rodney shuddered and John knew his lover was coming, felt the muscles in Rodney's ass as they clenched down on his cock, giving him the last piece of sensation he needed to send him over the edge, filling Rodney's ass with come.

They both collapsed to the bed, Rodney's arms and legs giving out underneath him, and John just following him down. "Nng."

Rodney moaned, sounding completely debauched beneath John, his body limp and decidedly post-coital.

Pulling out took almost more energy than John had, and left them both groaning. He managed to roll to the side so he wasn't crushing Rodney any more, limbs sprawled across the bed.

John caught his breath, glancing over at his lover who still hadn't moved, his head turned toward John, eyes half-open as he breathed deeply, his body still trembling with every other breath.

"You still alive?"

"Mmm…"

"Yeah." John drawled the word, stretching it out into several syllables.

Rodney's hand reached out, bumping into John's arm several times before it latched onto his hand, holding it tightly.

"I'm thinking a nap is in order." He was suddenly amazingly tired. The effort of driving for six-plus hours while aroused, not to mention keeping Rodney in his happy place, left John feeling wrung out.

"Mmm…'kay."

"C'mere." John wiggled a little, and tugged at Rodney, until they'd managed to curl into each other, Rodney's head resting on John's chest.

With a deep sigh, Rodney amazingly relaxed even further, molding himself to John's body, his body rumbling in what sounded like a contented purr.

Letting his own body go, John whispered, "love you," softly, before letting sleep claim him for a little while.

***

Rodney woke slowly, still wrapped around John, the covers pulled up over the two of them.

He still couldn't believe that John did this for him, let him stay down so deeply for so long. The ride here had been amazing. With no room to move, no where to go, he had to take John's teasing, his playing, but Rodney loved the feel of John's hands on him, loved how he made him feel, the things he could make him feel.

And to feel John so aroused by him, by the situation, because of what he was doing…wow.

He'd spent the entire ride to the Grand Canyon floating the sound of the road and feeling of John's hands on him the only things holding him down, the only things that mattered.

John had given him such a gift…no one else would have done that, given him that.

He didn't deserve John, deserve his love, but God…he couldn't imagine being anywhere else, with anyone else.

His partner must have sensed his thinking or something, because he shifted under Rodney, his hand starting to sweep across his back, fingers trailing across his skin.

"Mmph?"

Rodney simply sighed, smiling into the skin on John's chest.

John huffed into Rodney's hair, pulling him closer, but otherwise showing no signs of wanting to move.

Which normally, Rodney would have no issues with, but he had to use the facilities and that required him to get up. "Sir?" he said quietly, voice barely a whisper.

John's body jerked slightly. It never ceased to amaze Rodney how most of the time John was so in control, but little things, like calling him sir or playing with his nipples, just completely derailed his lover's thoughts. "Mmm?"

"I need to use the facilities," Rodney said, keeping his voice low, not wanting to really come up from the happy place in which he was residing.

Sleepy hazel eyes slitted open. "Need help?"

"No, not really."

"'kay. Come back quick." John's smile was open and innocent, and so happy it was a bit breathtaking.

Rodney nodded, glancing quickly around the room before climbing out from under the blankets. He was sore in all the right places—nipples and ass, along with some assorted muscles.

Padding across the floor he quickly got done with business before using a face cloth to do some clean-up work.

Dampening another cloth with warm water, he brought it back to the bed.

His lover's eyes were closed, but they slitted open when Rodney got close. "Back?"

"Uh huh," Rodney said, climbing back into the bed and offering the warm washcloth to John.

John's movements were slow, languid. He took the cloth and wiped himself down, not even sitting up. "Thanks."

Rodney nodded again, taking the cloth from John and dropping it off the side of the bed to land on the floor. Sitting on the bed, one leg curled slightly beneath him, the other pulled toward his chest, Rodney leaned forward, head on his upraised knee, arms wrapped around his leg as he simply watched John.

God. He was beautiful. Perfect. Amazing.

John's eyes opened again. "Rodney?"

"Mmm?"

"What are you doing?"

Rodney shook his head, tilting it so he could look at John a little better.

With a little leer, still too sleepy for it to be truly effective, John moved the blankets covering him and spread his legs, giving Rodney a better view. "Enjoying the scenery?"

He nodded, offering a light smile to his lover, trying to stay down, not wanting to face the world or anything else.

John reached out trailing fingers along Rodney's ankle. "So am I."

Ducking his head a little, feeling the blush creeping up his cheeks, Rodney reached out, laying his hand on John's. "Need you," he finally whispered, meeting John's eyes with a hesitant gaze.

"Come here." John's eyes were warm, loving.

Rodney uncurled himself and crawled toward John, settling in close, his breath coming out in one long exhalation.

When he got there, John rolled them, settling himself between Rodney's legs, propped up on one elbow while the other hand traced random patterns on Rodney's chest.

With the feel of John all around him, Rodney drifted in a sea of pleasure and contentment.

He knew he should probably do something, say something, move, but he didn't want to. Things were just perfect right here. In this little universe, nothing else mattered. Here, he was safe and loved and nothing could touch him.

John relaxed further around him, and his lover's breathing evened out again.

With a long sigh, Rodney let the little piece of awareness he was holding onto slide away, following John down into darkness.

***

John woke up with Rodney sprawled on top of him, drooling slightly. It was far more adorable than it should be.

He worked his way out from under his lover, careful not to wake him. After taking care of business in the restroom, he wandered out into the suite, checking it out. The guy at the check-in desk had been right—the view was spectacular.

Opening the doors to the little patio, he peeked his head out and was pleased to note it was designed with privacy in mind. Stepping outside, John closed his eyes and enjoyed the feel of the wind on his face, the view of the canyon stretching out in front of him. He would have to get Rodney up soon for dinner. He would need something more substantial and healthy than fast food this time.

Thinking about the scientist, curled on the bed inside, made John’s chest ache again. He hated all those sappy movies that talked about love and how it felt, but he had to admit, when it came to Rodney, the stereotypes were all true. The man made him feel…more alive, more love, more everything than he could remember feeling before. He was willing to admit, at least to himself, that his constant need to tell Rodney how much he loved him probably bordered on the twelve-year-old girl line.

But he didn’t care.

It was amazing how beautiful Rodney had been today. He was so responsive, so willing to trust John with everything. It was humbling and damn frightening and sexy as hell.

Taking a last long breath of the fresh air, John wandered back in to the bedroom, catching bright blue eyes watching for him. “Hey, you’re awake.”

"Mmm…kinda."

"We need to go get you a real meal pretty soon."

Rodney sighed, rolling back down onto the bed, his hand settled on his stomach, eyes on the ceiling. "I know."

John climbed back into bed, fitting his body alongside Rodney's, propped up so he could look at his lover. "How are you doing?"

"Okay," he answered after a moment, but then paused to purse his lips. "Actually, I’m really good." He turned his head so he could look John in the eyes, a smile on his face. "Thank you."

John felt an answering smile stretch his own lips. "I think I should be thanking you. You're amazing, letting me do this."

Rodney lifted his hand, resting it on John's chest, fingers threading through the hair. "I've never…that was just amazing."

Leaning in, John caught Rodney's mouth in a sweet kiss. "You looked pretty relaxed."

"And it was all because of you."

"Well, and you." John let his fingers trail aimlessly over Rodney's chest. "Do you have any idea how...what it feels like, to know you trust me that much, to let me take care of you like that?"

"No…but I’m sure you can show me again," Rodney smirked leaning in to brush his lips against John's.

John grinned into the kiss. "Dinner. We need to get some real food in you. There's a restaurant in the hotel, casual dining it looked like. We can grab a quick bite to eat, glass of wine, then watch the sunset from our balcony. We have an amazing view."

"Do we have to?"

"Yes. You need something healthy to eat." John ran the pad of his thumb along Rodney's jaw, shivering a little at the way the stubble felt.

"Can't we just have it brought up?"

"Not ready to come the rest of the way up?"

"I just…I don't want anyone else to ruin this and you know me and waiters…"

John kissed him again. "I'll order up. When you're up to it come join me in the other room. Since we're eating here, I'd like to do it on the balcony."

"Okay," Rodney nodded, his eyes soft. "Thanks."

Sliding off the bed with a last kiss, John found his own boxers and pulled them on, finding the room service menu and ordering the steak and chicken dishes—no citrus in either—along with chocolate cake, a bowl of strawberries, champagne, and Cheetos. He figured they could share everything. Since Rodney hadn't come out yet, he wandered out to the balcony, making sure the small table and chairs were clean and ready to be used.

"It's chillier than I thought," Rodney said, his quiet voice coming from behind him. John turned only to pause. His lover was standing in the middle of the room absolutely unselfconscious of his nakedness, the leather cuffs on arms and legs, as he glanced around the room.

Certain parts of John, amazingly, stood up and took immediate notice. He didn't even realize he was panting slightly, mouth open, until Rodney started smirking at him.

"Hi."

"Christ, you're like walking sex."

"What?" Rodney asked, confusion rolling across his face as he glanced down at himself. "What's wrong?"

John just shook his head. "You're like every fantasy I've ever had walking around like that."

Rodney blushed, the red starting on his chest and spreading in all directions. He paused tilting his head as he narrowed his eyes at John. "We could probably take care of that before dinner arrives…if you want."

John shuddered. He had seen that look off-world, when Rodney was about to pull a brilliant plan out of his ass to save the day. "Yeah?"

"Interested?"

"Yes..." The word escaped in a low hiss, drawn out, needy. He couldn't get enough of Rodney.

A broad smile graced Rodney's face and he bounced on his toes before turning toward the bedroom, pausing to turn back to John for a moment. "I'll be right back."

Nodding, John leaned against the wall, shifting to relieve the pressure even the thin cotton of his boxers was creating. The thought of Rodney with a plan was so unbelievably hot it made him shiver again.

Rodney emerged from the bedroom a few minutes later, his hands full with the inflatable plug, the chastity device, nipple clamps, and two of the locks. John's eyebrow rose as Rodney brought them to him, handing them off. "I think…" he started before pausing. "I'd like you to use these tonight…at least for a while. I…want you to…you know." Rodney took a breath before sliding to his knees, his hands behind his back as he waited.

Breath coming harder now, John locked everything into place—Rodney's ankles and wrists held together, the chastity device in place, plug and clamps in place. Just putting the stuff on his lover made John's already hard dick throb with need. He had to stop a few times to draw in deep, sucking puffs of air in an attempt to calm himself.

Rodney glanced up—arousal and calm on his face. "Yours," he whispered, offering a soft smile.

"Fuck..." John whispered it, body tight and thrumming with need. He fell to his own knees in front of his lover, capturing his mouth in a deep kiss, hands roaming.

Rodney kissed him deeply, openly, greedily, taking everything John was giving and returning it in full measure.

With Rodney's hands secured behind his back, John had full access to his chest and body, his lover moaning as John hit sensitive spots.

John lost himself in the taste of Rodney, unconsciously rubbing his body up against anything he could, trying to get friction.

And Rodney offered up himself, moaning and sighing with happy contented sounds as John touched him.

Finally pulling away, John realized he was getting desperate to come. "Rodney...need to... blow me..." Using the wall he managed to get to his feet, shoving his boxers down to free his leaking erection.

"Whatever you want," Rodney said, his expression so open and honest that it made John's breath catch in his throat.

"Not going to...last long. Please..." John let his head fall back against the wall as Rodney's mouth closed around him. Without the use of his hands, it took his lover a few tries to get a rhythm down, but when he did... "ohfuckgodfeelssogooddon'tstop..."

He felt Rodney chuckle, the vibrations just intensifying the feelings already running through his body. Rodney used his teeth and tongue to pull John right to the edge and keep him there.

John floated, lost for who knows how long in a haze of pleasure. When his orgasm finally did hit, it was almost a surprise, pulled out of him in long, shuddering bursts. With a sigh, his knees buckled and he slid to the ground. "So good..."

Rodney shifted as much as his bound limbs would allow, leaning to kiss John, letting him taste himself on Rodney's lips.

They kissed for a long time, John just opening up and letting Rodney in until he got control of his limbs back. Then he pushed forward, claiming his lover's mouth. It was only a knock at the door that pulled him out of the haze. "Mmm. Dinner's here."

Rodney glanced up at John, eyes wide with surprise, but also holding a deep trust of John.

Reaching over, he unlocked Rodney's ankles and helped the other man to his feet. "Go wait for me in the bedroom while I get the food. No one else gets to see you like this."

Leaning forward to give John a kiss, Rodney nodded, moving carefully across the room, the full plug in his ass and the chastity device on his cock making him walk a little slower than normal.

John hummed at how pretty Rodney looked like that, hands still bound behind his back. After a quick check to make sure everything was tucked away himself, John opened the door, signing for the food and setting it up on the balcony. Then he went looking for Rodney.

He didn't see him at first, but spotted him quickly enough. McKay was kneeling next to the bed, sitting back on his heels waiting for John.

Patiently waiting for John.

No muscles twitching. No impatient sighs. No eye rolling. Just waiting.

John twitched, and his dick made every effort to rejoin the party. He needed a little more recovery time. That didn't mean he couldn't touch however. Dropping down next to Rodney, he kissed his lover deeply. "Come out to the balcony with me. I'm leaving your hands secured, but if you need to find a more comfortable position in the seat, I'll tie them to the chair instead of behind your back."

"Whatever you want is fine with me," Rodney said, and for the first time John truly believed him. This was Rodney in full submission with him and God…

He felt a rush of emotion—power, love, tenderness, need, protectiveness—all rolled into one. Leading Rodney outside, they got him situated, and John began to feed them both, sharing the steak and chicken between them, holding up strawberries and bites of cake for Rodney to taste. It was both domestic and erotic and by the end he was well on his way to getting hard again.

They'd talked about nothing and everything, the silences holding promises of things to come, the laughter sweet, their kisses sweeter.

John ended the meal with a glass of champagne, shared between them. It was sweet, and he couldn't resist the urge to lick away the drops that lingered on Rodney's lips, the sunset painting the sky brilliant colors all around them. He decided he wanted to take Rodney here, with the fresh air and the spectacular view. There was a lounge chair along with the table and chairs on the balcony, so John settled himself there, losing the boxers, motioning for Rodney to join him, to sit between his outstretched legs.

With a little help from John, Rodney settled in leaning back against Sheppard. He quickly discovered one large benefit of being bound behind his back as his fingers closed around John's semi-hard cock. "I seem to have found something," Rodney said, tilting his head back to look up at John a smirk on his face.

John couldn't help the slight buck of his hips as Rodney fondled him. "Oh..."

But instead of stroking him to hardness, Rodney settled back with a sigh, simply holding John in his hands as Sheppard slowly got himself under control and wrapped his arms around McKay.

John let them both enjoy the contact for a while, before he nudged Rodney to sit up a bit. He had grabbed the lube before dinner, and moved it within reach before he sat down, so he slicked himself up easily. Gently pulling the plug out, John resettled Rodney in his lap, impaling his lover, then holding him in place, both of them moaning softly at the connection.

"Oh…you feel so good," Rodney hummed, pressing himself as close to John as he could get as his body adjusted to John's cock.

John just wanted to be as close to each other as possible. Wrapping his arms around Rodney's waist, he nibbled on his neck, licking and mouthing his way up and down the tempting skin.

Rodney moaned, the happy sounds rumbling from his chest only encouraging John to continue.

John slid a hand down to the chastity device, palming it a bit. "I'm going to want to feel you come."

"Don't have to," Rodney breathed.

"Yes, you do. You're mine, and I like it. You make the sexiest noises when you do, and afterwards, I like to hold you, feel how loose and relaxed you are."

Rodney whimpered at John's words, his ass muscles clenching down on John's cock. God—Rodney was so turned on right now it was probably hurting him not to be able to make an erection, but he wasn't complaining.

Fumbling a little, John carefully pulled the cage off Rodney's cock, growling at his lover at the same time. "I want to feel you hard and leaking. Now."

With a sob, Rodney's body shuddered at the release from the device, his cock hardening immediately.

John wrapped his hand around Rodney, stroking him a few times. "Mine."

Rodney nodded, panting, "Yours, all yours" as his body trembled.

John reached around to play with Rodney's nipples, still in the clamps, as he continued to stroke. "You're going to come like this, with me deep inside you. Then I'm going to just hold you, feel you around me while we watch the sun set. When it goes down, I'm going to fuck you hard, and you're going to come again, then."

He moaned, nodding his understanding, panting as his arousal grew. His body trembled and shuddered, on the edge of his orgasm. He whimpered as John continued to play with his clamped nipples, keening deep in his throat, head thrown back.

John could taste the need on Rodney's skin, as he licked along the collar his lover wore, breathing in the scent of him. "Now, Rodney."

And without a hand on his cock, Rodney was coming—long and hard—John's name on his lips, his body shuddering with the release as the pleasure rolled through him. Slumping back against John, hands sandwiched between them, Rodney pulled in several deep breaths, moaning as he turned his head in toward John's neck, still twitching from his orgasm.

John kissed the edge of his mouth, keeping it light and comforting, giving Rodney something to ground him as he came back down. John was panting a little himself, Rodney's pleasure washing over his own body, around his cock buried so deeply inside his lover. He wrapped his arms tight around Rodney's waist and held him.

"Mmm…" Rodney finally whispered, the words ghosting across John's skin. "You feel so good."

"So do you." John twitched his hips, moving slightly inside his lover.

Rodney moaned, squeezing John's cock. "Oh…so full…"

Swallowing hard, John bit Rodney's neck lightly. "Soon. I'll fuck you hard soon, but right now I just want to feel you around me. Watch the sunset. When it gets dark, I'll take you then."

Rodney moaned again, but nodded, settling back against John, lips ghosting over John's jaw for a moment, before he stilled, watching the colors shifting in the canyon as the sun set.

John felt himself relaxing completely. Arousal aside, he felt loose, comfortable, happy. He could almost fall asleep like this, buried in Rodney, the taste and smell and feel of him all around.

Rodney's breathing was finally evening out. He wasn't asleep, but drifting on the edge of pleasure and relaxation—a place that had taken John nearly an entire day to get him to. But God…it was so worth it.

Once the sky turned dark, John knew it was time for them to move. Even with the naps, they were both exhausted. "Hey. I'm going to pull you off me now, and I want you to go wait for me on the bed. I want to take you from behind, so you'll need my help getting positioned with your hands tied like this."

"Okay," Rodney replied quietly, allowing John to shift him. The both moaned as John slid out and it took nearly a minute for John to get himself back under control enough to get Rodney to his feet.

"Go," he whispered. "I'm going to clean up dinner a bit, and I'll be right there."

Rodney padded off quietly, disappearing into the bedroom without a backward glance. John quickly straightened up the dinner dishes, leaving everything on the cart and pushing it just outside the door. Someone else could worry about it later.

He made sure he had the lube, and detoured briefly to get a warm washcloth for afterwards. Rodney took his breath away, waiting patiently on the bed, on his knees again, for John to come do whatever he wanted. Growling, he captured Rodney's mouth in a deep kiss, making sure his lover knew he was claiming him.

Again Rodney returned everything John gave him with sheer abandon, moaning into the kiss, allowing it to consume him.

Panting again, John positioned his lover how he wanted him—legs spread far apart, leaning forward into the bed so his head and shoulders were pushed into the pillows John had arranged for that purpose, ass in the air. He took a moment to admire before slicking himself up again. He knew like this, Rodney would get absolutely no friction. Running a hand along the dick he loved so much, he found Rodney was already half-hard again. "You will be coming again. Like this, with only me fucking you for stimulation."

"God…yes…please…" Rodney panted and John could hear the need and desire in his voice.

Slicking himself up again, John put a hand on either side of Rodney's hips and, without any more preamble, he slammed home. Pausing to adjust the angle slightly, he found Rodney's prostate and made a point of tagging it every time. "You like it rough, don't you?" He managed to get the words out between gasps for air. "You like it when I take you, make you take me like this. I'm leaving finger marks on your hips. For the rest of the week you'll have a visual reminder of exactly where my hands are right now, how hard I'm fucking you."

John listened to Rodney's moans and groans turn to shouts of pleasure as John fucked him hard, his begging pleas turning to wordless vowel-only sex sounds.

When he knew Rodney was lost in the haze of pleasure, he gave the command, knowing it would take him over the edge too.

With a chocked of cry of John's name, Rodney was coming once again, keening and sobbing into the pillows as the pleasure rolled through him, his body and mind lost in the sensation.

With a few more hard thrusts, John came, filling Rodney. As his body threatened to collapse, He fumbled at the wrist restraints, releasing them before falling to the side and pulling Rodney with him, managing to get them both on their sides without pulling out. He reached around a bit until he found the washcloth, using it to wipe Rodney off before wrapping his arms around his lover.

Rodney was still panting, trembling with his own release, muttering to himself words John couldn't catch.

"Hmm?"

Shaking his head, Rodney panted into the pillow, trying to catch his breath.

"Rodney?" John whispered it along his lover's jaw, into his ear, even as he pulled him closer.

"So good…oh god…so good…" Rodney whispered, enunciating enough for John to finally understand him between his breaths.

Petting him softly, John whispered soft words of his own, meant to comfort, to help ground Rodney, let him find his way back down from the pleasure.

It took a few minutes for him to float back down and when he did his request surprised John. Offering his hands together, he lifted them slightly. "Please."

"Rodney?"

"Lock them. Ankles, too. Please."

John thought about it for a moment and then nodded. "I'll do one better, hang on." He slowly pulled out and cleaned up and then moved to retrieve the straps from the duffle, bringing them to the bed and quickly rigging them. He gave Rodney a little room to move, but secured his hands and feet to the bed before curling back against his side.

"More?"

Smiling slightly, John sat back up to look at Rodney. "You want to be gagged and blindfolded for sleeping, don't you?"

"I just…I need more," Rodney said, eyes wide, face open. "Whatever you want…just please."

John got up again, pulling out the blindfold. "I'm not going to gag you because I'll be asleep, and I want you to have some way to wake me if you need something."

"Okay."

Tying the blindfold into place, John this time blanketed himself over Rodney, pressing his lover into the mattress. "Better?"

"Mmm…yes," Rodney said, and John could feel his lover's heart finally slowing. "No plug?"

"No. I want to give your body some time to recover, since I'm sure I won't be able to resist playing with your ass tomorrow."

Rodney moaned, squirming a little in frustration, but finally relented. "'kay."

John laughed quietly into Rodney's neck. "Sorry, lover, this time you're just going to have to accept that I'm not sticking anything in you for a few hours. When we shower in the morning will be soon enough again."

"I can wait."

"Good." He started to say more, but was caught off-guard by a huge yawn. "God, I'm tired. You've worn me out with your insatiable sexual appetite."

"Is that a bad thing?" Rodney asked, his voice quiet.

"Nope. It's on the 'Things I Love About Rodney' list." John kissed him gently. "You were perfect today."

"I…this was…amazing to me. I never realized…" Rodney turned toward John, pressing a kiss to the side of his mouth before centering himself by touch and offering a much warmer and open kiss.

John kept the kisses lazy and soft, not enough to arouse either of them again. "I had hoped you would like it. You respond so well to what I do to you, I was pretty sure you would enjoy the way it feels to spend the whole day in submission, but I wasn't sure. We'll do this again, I promise."

"God, yes, please," Rodney moaned into John's mouth.

"We will." John yawned again into Rodney's mouth, then smiled a bit sheepishly, even though his lover couldn't see it. "Sorry. I was hoping the nap would refresh me, but I'm about five minutes away from passing out. Can you sleep?"

"Mmm…think so. Blanket?"

"I'm not warm enough for you?" John teased, nipping at Rodney's collar bone lightly as he worked the blanket out from under their bodies—tossing away the top comforter with the wet spot—and got it over them both. "Good night, Rodney."

"Night…sir."

John hummed his approval, kissing Rodney one last time before he let his body relax, falling into a deep sleep.

***

Rodney woke slowly surrounded by warmth and John.

Shifting slightly, he tugged at his hands a content hum rumbling in his chest when he felt the corresponding tension indicating that he was still secured to the bed. Opening his eyes, his eyelashes brushed against the blindfold as he stared into darkness.

Perfect. Oh so perfect.

His ass was sore—very sore—but he loved the feeling, loved knowing that John had taken his pleasure in him and had given him so much in return. He'd given everything he'd wanted and more, more than he'd ever imagined and he didn't want it to end.

John muttered into his skin, shifting against Rodney, skin rubbing on skin.

That light touch seemed to re-awaken his body and Rodney moaned quietly, wanting more, needing John again.

"Ro'ney?" John's voice was still sleep-slurred.

"John," he whispered, voice heavy with desire and arousal.

John's body shifted again, suddenly brushing against Rodney's erection. "Oh, hello... How long have you been awake?"

"Dunno…little while."

A hand worked its way between their bodies, stroking him lightly. "Mmmm, this is the best way to wake up."

"God…" Rodney breathed. "Want you…"

"I see that." John's voice was warm and amused. Soft lips were pressed into the corner of Rodney's mouth. "Good morning."

"Morning," Rodney said, turning so he could meet John's lips with his own, giving John a dirty, wet, morning breath kiss.

He could feel John's smile before his lover moved down his body, hitting every one of Rodney's sensitive spots. When he reached the spot John had claimed for himself, where Rodney was never unmarked any more, a tongue licked at him. "This needs to be renewed."

"You're asking for permission?"

A puff of air let him know John was laughing softly. "No. Just giving you some warning."

"Good," Rodney huffed, his body shivering with anticipation. "Didn't want us to slide backwards—not after yesterday."

"Nope, your body is mine. But I like the little tremors that run through you, when you know I'm gong to mark you soon. It's pretty sexy."

Rodney moaned again as John licked at his spot, warming it, prepping it. Tilting his head to the side, he made sure John had more than enough room, feeling John's smile against his skin.

And then he was being marked. The skin sucked into John's mouth, the slight flare of pain only serving to arouse him further.

He arched up into John's body as far as the bonds would allow, cocks rubbing together, making both of them shudder.

When John was apparently happy with the mark, he moved down Rodney's body, nipping and kissing and sucking seemingly at random.

Rodney could feel several other hickeys forming on his body, bruises he knew would stay for several days, reminding him of this trip and of John and how sweet submission could be. He moaned and shivered as John continued to play, marking him in several places—some deep, others light—pulling Rodney higher and higher.

John's heat disappeared suddenly, and Rodney could hear him moving around. His legs, which had been tied down fairly close together for sleeping, were suddenly pulled wide apart, a pillow slipped under his hips, before they were tied back down. He was now on display for John, open for anything his lover wanted to do to him.

"Oh…god…" Rodney moaned. "Please…please John…"

"Soon. I'm not done exploring you yet though. I want to make sure your body can handle me again this soon."

"Want you…" Rodney whispered, clenching and unclenching his hands.

John's fingers traced light patterns across his skin, teasing, caressing. Without any warning, Rodney was suddenly engulfed in the wet heat of John's mouth.

Rodney moaned, long and loud, his body shuddering hard at the sensation, as John's tongue swirled around his shaft.

When he got close to the edge, John pulled off, tugging his balls back down, derailing his orgasm. "Not yet. Don't come until I'm inside you."

He whimpered and nodded as John's hands trailed down his legs, stroking and caressing, his tongue leaving a wet trail along the inside of his thigh.

John continued to fondle him, sucking on his balls for a while, rolling them in his mouth as a finger pressed back to tease at his entrance. He was tied down tight enough that he couldn't push down into it, couldn't get it where he wanted it; he just had to accept whatever John would give him.

Groaning in frustration, Rodney let himself let go, giving himself into John's hands, his body relaxing into the bed as John continued to pull moans and shivers from his body.

As soon as he had relaxed, John was pushing inside, touching him in the most intimate of ways.

Rodney groaned, his ass burning a little as John stretched him again. But he loved it. Loved the feeling of being fucked, having been fucked, of being filled with John's cock.

John was careful, and he was apparently watching Rodney very carefully. "You're sore."

"I'm fine."

"Rodney. I want the truth. I want to bury myself in you right now, but I don't want to hurt you."

"I'm sore," he answered quietly.

"How sore?"

Rodney sighed. "Probably about as sore as I was at the beginning. But I'll be fine. It'll be fine."

John's fingers disappeared for a moment.

"Nononononono," Rodney begged, trying to arch off the bed, trying to reach John.

"Shhh. Rodney, love, it's okay." A hand came to rest on his stomach, and John was stretching out along his body, pressing into him. "If I'm going to do this without hurting you, I'm going to need to use a lot of lube, and make sure I take my time stretching you."

"But you will…"

John's lips danced across his. "Yes. I'm going to take you, going to bury myself in you. But I'm going to take my time and make sure I don't hurt you in the process."

Rodney managed to lean up, catching John's mouth with his own, pressing all of his emotions into it, trying to make John see, understand how much he wanted this, needed this. He wanted to feel the burn, wanted to feel used, knowing that it was John that did it.

John let the kiss run wild for a moment and then gentled it, pulling back. "Relax. Let me take care of you. I won't leave you hanging. Just relax and trust me."

He nodded, moaning as one of John's fingers entered him, coating him inside with lube. One finger became two, John working carefully, gently.

When three fingers were moving freely inside him, John withdrew his hand, replacing it, a moment later, with the blunt tip of his cock. Lately, they had been having so much sex that he could and did push in all the way on the first stroke—he rarely took the time to prep Rodney this completely either. But now—now he pushed in slowly, pulling back every few inches, stretching Rodney carefully, slowly.

It burned a little, but not as badly as Rodney though it would, John's preparation making all the difference. "Feels…so good," he moaned as John slid in inch by inch, letting Rodney adjust to him before he moved again.

When John was completely inside, Rodney felt John's balls brushing against his ass. "Oh God....Oh Rodney..."

Rodney moaned, unable to shift, to move, pinned entirely by John's body and the bindings. "So full…so good…"

John set up a slow pace, pulling almost all the way out before sliding back in again. Rodney could feel his body relaxing, welcoming, accepting John. Every time his lover pulled out, Rodney clenched down, wringing moans from John, making him lose control a little more each time.

Rodney welcome the little bit of pain, the soreness reminding him of everything they'd done and making him want more.

John started to pick up the pace, his thrusts getting more erratic. "Rodney, oh god, Rodney, you feel so fucking good..."

He moaned and whimpered as John fucked him, his cock hard and leaking, demanding release.

"Come now." John's voice was cracking, and Rodney knew he was close to the edge.

His balls pulled up close to his body and he clenched down on John's cock as he came, spilling come over his chest as he shuddered through his climax, John following him a few heartbeats later.

"Rodney… Oh, Rodney... Love you..." John collapsed on top of him, and Rodney could feel him twitching through the aftershocks of his orgasm.

Panting, Rodney tried to catch his breath, whispering his thanks into the skin of John's shoulder.

"Mmmm." John hummed into Rodney's shoulder. "We need to go shower soon. We have to check out in a bit, and I want to check out the canyon some before we start back."

"Okay."

John moved a few minutes later, pulling out. A finger along the edge of the blindfold gave Rodney a half a second of warning that it was coming off. "Hi there."

Rodney blinked a few times, clearing his eyes and adjusting to the half-light of the room. It was still early, but they had a long drive ahead of them. "Hi," he whispered, smiling.

John's mouth was crooked into an affectionate, post-coital sort of smile. "What do you say we get cleaned up, get breakfast, and do some sightseeing? We have the party tonight too, and I'd like to get back to Vegas with enough time to get cleaned up first."

"Might be a good idea," Rodney said with a nod, keeping his voice quiet in an effort not to break the mood.

John's mouth moved over his, light and sweet, before his lover sat up and started unhooking him from the straps. "I'll have to take the cuffs off before we shower. If you're comfortable with it, and want to wear them for the day again, I'll put them back on when we're done. But I'll let you made that call dependant on what you're okay with."

"I'm okay with—" John put his finger to Rodney's lips.

"You're still half in headspace right now, and as much as I'd like to keep you there indefinitely, I know how you feel about it in public. And I don't want you to feel uncomfortable tonight, which means I can't let you spend the day in deep today. So let's shower, and you can make the decision when we get dressed, all right?"

With John's finger against his lips, Rodney nodded. He didn't like it, but John was probably right.

Replacing his finger with his lips briefly, John went back to freeing Rodney, removing all four cuffs, kissing and licking the skin where they had rested as he did. "I have a set of steel wrist cuffs that match the other steel collar. I've kept this one on you because it isn't obviously a collar, but if you ever decide you do want to wear something more publicly, we'll use that set."

"John…"

John shook his head, pulling Rodney into his arms. "Only if you decide you're okay with it. I only mentioned it because they wouldn't have to come off for the shower. If I put those on you, they can stay on you indefinitely—or at least until I decide to take them off. But the leather ones work fine, too."

Rodney wrapped himself around John—arms and legs—tucking his face into John's neck and inhaling the scent that was uniquely John. They stayed like that for a while, just enjoying the contact of skin on skin. "We'll actually sight-see today?"

"A bit. We drove all the way out here, we should see at least some of the canyon."

Chuckling, Rodney nodded. "Probably."

Tangling their fingers together, John pulled him into the bathroom, starting a shower. "We won't stay long. It's too bad I didn't think to bring a camera."

"Can always come back."

"True. Maybe in one of the helicopters next time." There was a catch in John's voice, but the other man had turned to check the water temperature.

"John," Rodney said, pulling the other man toward him. "I thought this trip was to forget."

Several emotions flickered across John's face. "It is, and I have. Sorry, that one sort of snuck up on me." He ran a hand through his unruly hair. "The need to fly does that sometimes, I'm fine, and then the urge to be in the air, to feel the Gs... Sorry."

Wrapping his arms around John, Rodney held onto his lover. "No need to be sorry."

John trembled a bit against him, then took a deep breath. "I'm okay. Let's shower, all right?"

"Whatever you want or need, John. I’m here."

Pulling Rodney into the shower behind him, John offered a lopsided smile. "When we retire, I'm using some of my back-pay to buy a small plane. I'll fly us all over the place, anywhere you want to go."

"Retire? You?" Rodney scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Doubtful."

"Hey, I plan to retire. Someday. With you. We'll buy a little place on the beach somewhere, and the plane so we can go wherever we want. We'll buy something that's a few stories high, so you can use one whole floor for a lab. I'll do your math and cook and fly us around, and you'll write brilliant papers and win the Nobel prize." John had grabbed a washcloth and soap and was carefully cleaning Rodney as he talked.

"I'll win it before we retire," Rodney said with a smirk.

"You'll win a second after. And we'll have baby geeks lining up on our doorstep begging to work with you, but I'll hold them at bay. Everyone will be terrified of your scary ex-military husband so you'll be free to work in peace."

"Maybe," Rodney said, letting John turn him around.

"I'll teach you how to surf on the weekends, and you'll make me get a PhD in Mathematics, so you can make all the other geeks jealous that you landed a hot pilot who's smart too. They'll all swoon with jealousy."

"I'll pass on the surfing."

John turned him back around, grinning. "We'll see. It depends on how good of a blowjob you give me as to whether or not I'll let you off the hook.' He handed Rodney the shampoo bottle. "Wash my hair? It always feels better when you do it."

"And we already know the answer to that one," Rodney smirked, pouring a handful of shampoo in the palm of his hand before giving the bottle back to John. Rubbing his hands together, he spread the shampoo before attacking John's mop of hair, massaging and washing in equal measure. "So, what should I expect tonight?"

John's body relaxed, and his eyes closed, a look that could only be described as bliss on his face. "I have no idea. I've never been Harry's pet of the moment—Gaines always managed to deflect him for me. Best guess? We'll have dinner with a few other couples I happen to know, and then at the club we'll be left to either socialize or dance, whichever we feel like doing."

"'kay," Rodney said, nodding as he continued to massage John's scalp, finally getting him to rinse a few minutes later.

John leaned into Rodney once the suds were clear, giving him a sloppy kiss. "I should get you to use those clever hands on my back sometime. I'm not as bad as you are, but a good massage every now and then isn't something I'll turn down."

"Whatever you want, John. You should know that by now."

"Mmmm. I'm usually so busy trying to get my hands on you, it never occurs to me to ask."

"It's been months now and we're still like two teenagers," Rodney said with a chuckle.

John smiled against his mouth. "I don't think I'll ever get tired of touching you. It will never be enough."

"Well, there's touching and desperate fucking."

Stepping back to shut off the water, John laughed, waving his other hand in an imitation of Rodney's usual gestures. "Same difference. Let's get dressed and go get breakfast."

Rolling his eyes, Rodney let John pull him from the shower, the other man drying him off quickly before tugging him into the bathroom, his ass sore and protesting with every step. "Can you…slow down a bit?"

John froze, his eyes sweeping Rodney's body. "Fuck. I hurt you, didn't I?"

"I'm okay. Just sore. As long as we don’t have to run anywhere I'll be fine."

John's sharp eyes swept his body again, leaving a trail of heat behind. He stepped close, thumb caressing Rodney's jaw in a gesture that had become a habit, one that Rodney was beginning to crave. "We'll be sitting most of the day in the car. Hopefully that will help."

"Maybe. It's been a while," he said, leaning into the touch, his hand resting on John's hip, finger rubbing against the skin.

John's eyes danced, and Rodney saw his lips twitch as he fought off a smile. "Been a while?"

"Since I've been fucked so much that I can't walk."

"Mmmm, I should try harder then. Maybe aim for a goal of one day a week..."

Rodney stepped forward, hands sliding around John. "If you think you're up for it."

"Ah, see, I have the advantage here. If I sprain my dick, I can always switch to a toy." John's arms slipped around him, pulling their bodies tight together.

"Prefer you, but I'll take whatever you can dish out."

John shuddered against him. "You're already having trouble walking. Arousing the man who fucks you while in that condition might not be a good idea."

"Mmm….maybe," Rodney said, sliding his hands down to John's ass, cupping it in his hands as he pressed himself into John.

John's head dropped down to nuzzle at the junction of Rodney's neck and shoulder. "I could always bottom... Fuck, you're like a siren or something, tempting me to never-ending sex. We really should get dressed and go." He tilted his head so Rodney could see the grin.

Rodney sighed, but nodded, knowing John was right. Was it bad that he didn't want to deal with the idiots he knew were waiting just outside the door? At least here it was just the two of them and that was all that mattered.

"Hey." John straightened, his hand automatically going back to Rodney's face. "Tonight. You can spend the whole day thinking about what I'm going to do to you when we're alone back in the hotel, after having been wined and dined, and then dancing really close together for a while."

"Lot's of foreplay, eh?"

"Mmm. I like foreplay. The anticipation is half the fun." John brushed his lips lightly across Rodney's. "What did you decide on the cuffs?"

"They won't show, will they?"

"The ankle cuffs, no. The wrists will since it's too warm for a long sleeve shirt."

Closing his eyes, Rodney considered his options, his hang-ups, his wants. John's thumb was rubbing carefully along his jaw-line, the stubble rough against his finger. "Ankles."

"Okay."

John led him slowly to the edge of the bed, sitting him down and swinging his feet up, arranging him so he was lying down. Rodney turned his head and opened his eyes, watching John watching him.

Grabbing the ankle cuffs, John dragged them along Rodney's legs, letting him feel the soft leather before they were locked in place. His lover then crawled up next to him and kissed the inside of each of his wrists. "I've said it before, but it bears repeating—I love you. You have no idea how much..."

"I know," Rodney said, pressing lips to John's, tangling his legs with his lover's.

John allowed it to go on for a while, bodies pressing together, both of them lost in the kiss, before he pulled away. Rodney could see the reluctance on his face. "Dressed. Food. I can play with you in the car..."

"Can you?" A smirk rose on Rodney's face as John pulled him to a sitting position, his ass reminding him of his…recent vigorous activities.

"Oh yes." John breathed the words slowly, eyes still roaming Rodney's body.

"We'll see."

"Mmmm." John grinned again, then went to the duffle, pulling out clean clothes for both of them. He started to dress Rodney first, humming softly to himself.

Rodney, of course, decided to make it a little more…difficult than normal—skimming his hands over John's body, tweaking his nipples, stroking his half-hard cock.

By the time Rodney was fully dressed, John was hard and panting, still naked. "You are an evil, evil man." Even as he said it, he leaned into Rodney.

"Maybe. Need some help?"

"Touch me." John whimpered softly, pressing his face into Rodney's skin.

"Isn't that what I'm doing already?"

John moved, sitting on the bed and then twisting slightly so he was lying down, spread out. "You don't get much opportunity to just touch, explore. I'm yours."

"I do have one request, then."

"Anything." John was watching him through heavy-lidded eyes.

"I…I don't want to come until tonight."

John's dick twitched hard, his body shuddering with a low moan. "Okay. The chastity. Br...bring it over here. I'll put it on you now."

Rodney moved as quickly as he could, locating the device where they'd left it in the other room, returning it with its lock to John. Unzipping his pants, he shoved down his boxers and pants, bearing his semi-hard cock for John.

"You do know I can't put this on you when you're hard, right? I don't want to hurt you." John sat up, wrapping his arms around Rodney. "Can you talk it down, or do you need to come first?"

"Just need a few minutes," Rodney said, relaxing into John's arms.

John tightened his hold, one hand making soothing circles on Rodney's back. He could feel how aroused John was, pushing against him, but the other man was completely ignoring it to give Rodney what he needed.

It took a few minutes and several firm thoughts before Rodney felt himself relaxing, before John saw he was soft enough to be placed inside.

He felt the plastic slip on, cradling him. John growled softly into his ear. "Mine. All mine."

Rodney took a deep breath and nodded, listening as the lock clicked into place, some of his tension just sliding away. "All yours."

John smiled, then sat back a bit, spreading his arms slightly. "And I'm yours. Explore and touch as much as you want."

"Mmm," Rodney said with a smile as he pulled up his pants and boxers, putting everything back in its place. "So much to choose from."

John fell back onto the bed, a slight smile on his face, arms above his head as he watched.

Climbing onto the bed, Rodney settled himself carefully, hand hovering above John's chest. "This is different."

"Different can be good. But since we both enjoy the restraints on you so much, you don't get to touch me very often, not like I touch you. This is your chance."

"How much time do we have?" he asked, fingers starting to trail through the hair on John's chest, barely touching skin.

John's breath hitched slightly. "Check-out is at 1100. Last time I saw a clock, it was still 0800, so we have some time."

"'kay," Rodney said, eyes trailing across John's body, planning and strategizing his moves. He started slowly with barely any pressure, skimming his fingers over every part of John's body, not discriminating, leaving goose bumps in his wake. Gradually he added pressure, his palms rubbing and stroking every surface.

John's eyes had drifted closed, his head falling as far back as it could. Rodney got different reactions depending on what he was doing, ranging from short gasps to long moans, and everything in between. A few times, John started to arch up, and caught himself, making an effort to let Rodney set the pace.

"Can you turn over?"

"Mmmm." John sat up a bit, getting his arms and legs underneath him as he rolled. "Flat, or hands and knees?"

"Flat, please."

Scooting up so his legs wouldn't be hanging over the side, John settled himself back down, head pillowed on his crossed arms.

"Thank you," Rodney whispered, pressing a kiss to the nape of John's neck. He then carefully moved to straddle John, one leg on either side of his body as Rodney settled down on John's ass. "This okay?"

John's only response was a low, needy moan.

Chuckling quietly, Rodney began to knead and stroke John's back, massaging his muscles and working out the knots as he found them.

John's whole body seemed to melt into the mattress, releasing tension he probably wasn't even aware of having.

After nearly thirty minutes, Rodney leaned back, scooting off John's back, pressing another kiss to his lover's shoulder. "If you turn over I'll finish."

"Ungh." It took him a few tries, but John managed to find the coordination to flip back over, and Rodney was amused to see that although his lover was almost boneless with relaxation, his cock was still hard as a rock.

Sliding down the bed, Rodney immediately went down on John, swallowing as much of him as he could.

John made a noise that was all vowels and sex, almost coming up off the bed in surprise. Out of the corner of his eye, Rodney saw him fist the sheets, body breaking out in a fine sheen of sweat.

Using all the tricks John loved, it didn't take long to bring him right to the edge. Reaching up, he managed to grab onto John's nipples, tweaking and rubbing until John was pouring down his throat. Holding him in his mouth until John was soft, he licked him clean and kissed the head of his cock before stretching out next to John, on hand trailing through his chest hair.

John shifted, pressing closer as he drifted back down, humming softly. "s'good."

"Good," Rodney said, pressing a light kiss to John's lips.

"Don't wanna move."

"We have some time."

"You need to eat soon."

"I know."

"What do you want for breakfast? They have a restaurant downstairs." John curled a bit, trying to get more contact. "And I'm starting to understand your fascination of being naked while I'm dressed. This feels fantastic."

Rodney chuckled. "Welcome to the dark side."

"That gives a whole new meaning to 'Luke, I am your Father.'"

"And that is just disturbing."

John's whole body shook with his quiet laugh, even as he maneuvered to rub himself against Rodney. "At least I didn't call you Leia."

"Although I already know you want me chained to you, so I'm not sure it matters."

"You'd look hot in that bikini thing she wore."

"I thought you preferred me naked. Naked and in chains…"

"Well, the leather thing wouldn't stay on you long. Just until I got around to peeling it off you."

"And as for the bikini…cross-dressing is not my thing so don't get any ideas."

John laughed again, the sound light and happy. "I haven't tried on the leather thong thing I bought at the sex store yet. I'll have to model it for you one of these days."

"I think you need to, yes."

"Remind me when we get back."

"I can do that," Rodney said with a smile, his hand resting in the middle of John's chest.

"Mmmm." John curled closer, but his stomach growling cut off anything more he was going to say. When he looked up, Rodney saw a faint blush staining his cheeks. "Did I mention I'm hungry, too?"

"Your stomach may have."

"So, I need to actually move, get dressed, and get us fed."

"If you want."

Turning his head, John grabbed a quick kiss before sitting up, stretching his body, lean muscles shifting under the skin. "Wow, I feel amazing. You have fantastic hands."

"Thanks," Rodney said, watching John as he got dressed.

Once he was dressed, John made a circuit through the room, gathering up their toys and belongings, making sure they didn't forget anything. "Almost ready?"

"Just admiring the view," he answered, completely relaxed on the bed, hands folded over his stomach.

Grinning, John struck a few exaggerated poses.

Rolling his eyes, Rodney chuckled, holding out a hand for John.

His lover immediately came over, pulling Rodney up to the edge of the bed, wrapping his arms around him. "I think that's everything."

"You sure? Did you grab the plug from the other room?"

"We'll check on the way out. I got everything in here." Pulling Rodney the rest of the way up, John grabbed the duffle and started for the other room.

"Slow, slow, slow," he warned.

John immediately stopped, releasing his hand with a sheepish expression. "Sorry. I'll sweep the room while you amble toward the door, how's that sound?"

"You are enjoying this far too much," Rodney grumbled, the words without their usual bite.

"Hey, I went with 'amble' instead of something more insulting. I should be given good boyfriend points for that." John returned to his side, stuffing a few straggling items into the duffle and grinning like a madman.

"You did this to me. You know that, right?"

"I seem to recall the sounds of 'please, more, John, oh so full...' goading me on. How was I supposed to resist ravishing you when you make such sexy noises?" John leaned in to brush another kiss across his lips.

Rodney met him halfway, deepening the kiss as they stood in the middle of the suite.

"You know, it's a wonder we ever manage to do anything except have sex. We can't even make it out of the hotel."

"Horny teenagers."

"Can you still use that term to describe yourself at your age?"

"Can you find another term that describes a reason for our current on-going activities?"

"Love."

Rodney glanced up, looking John in the eyes. "Well, yeah. That, too."

"I like my term better." John kissed him deeply again, before his stomach once more made itself know. "All right, if I'm hungry you have to be starving. Breakfast."

"Not quite starving," Rodney said as they walked out of the suite, taking their time. "But that might explain a little of the lightheadedness."

John looked up, the beginnings of panic on his face. "Lightheaded?"

"Just a little. I’m fine, don't panic. If I thought it was anything big I would have mentioned something earlier. It's either a slightly depressed blood sugar or my amazement at everything you do to me. Haven't figured it out yet."

Nodding slowly, John resumed their walk to the restaurant. "Books. There have to be books on hypoglycemia and anaphylaxis. Can you recommend any in particular?"

"No. Why?"

"I want to learn everything I can about them, so I know what to watch for and how to protect you."

"You can ask Carson."

"I have, some. I had him train the team back when I first asked you to join, on basic signs to watch for, and what we can do in an emergency to buy you time to get you back to Atlantis. But now I want to know more than the basics. It's part of you, so I want to know how I can help you live with it and not add to the problem."

Rodney paused as they made it to the restaurant, John requesting a table toward the back. Once they were settled—Rodney very carefully—he continued. "The symptoms for hypoglycemia vary and I don't always get all of them when I'm having an attack. On the mild side it can be nausea, an extreme hunger, a nervous or jittery feeling, rapid heartbeat, trembling, cold and clammy skin, or numbness or tingling in my fingers. As it progresses, you can add mood changes, confusion, blurred vision, dizziness, headache, weakness, slurred speech, difficulty walking, or an extreme fatigue. And if it goes on…well, you know where that goes."

Nodding, John had an intense look on his face, as if he was memorizing the list Rodney had just given him. "For the mild stuff, I'm assuming any kind of food will work to get your blood sugar back up. If it gets bad, what's the best thing to get you better fast?"

"Actually," Rodney started only to be interrupted by the waitress.

"What will you gentlemen be having?" She drawled it, a poor imitation of John's usual mode of speech.

John glanced at the menu again, then looked up, ordering a full breakfast for himself, with eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, and hash browns. Then he glanced over at Rodney, one eyebrow up.

"Whatever."

John glanced back at the waitress. "He'll have the same thing. And can you make sure there's no citrus with either meal? He's allergic."

She nodded, writing down everything. "Do you want apple juice or tomato juice instead?"

"Coffee, for both of us." John gave her the patented Sheppard flirty smile, which had her grinning as she walked away. Then he turned back to Rodney. "So, what works best when you've started to really go into shock?"

"Ideally, if I’m conscious, the first thing would be to give me food of some kind. Fruit juice or other sugary soda would work. None of that diet crap. Or else I can eat other types of sugar—candy, cubes, or tablets—or a quick-sugar food like fat-free milk, honey, jam, and raisins or if you have a kit, a few glucose tablets or glucose gel. If I'm not responding, then it's best to go to a hospital."

John quirked a grin at him. "So I should stock up on M&Ms before we leave."

"Peanut M&Ms. Gives me a little protein, too."

Making a face, John thanked the guy who wandered by with a pot of coffee, pouring them each a mug. "Eww. Well, I guess that solves the question of how to make sure I don't eat them before I can give them to you."

Rodney chuckled, adding sugar and milk to his cup. "Good. I'll have something all to myself then."

"I'll give you the perfectly good M&Ms ruined by peanuts and save sixty percent cacao Godiva bars for myself."

Rodney scowled across the table. "Do that and you'll regret it."

A look that could only be described as a leer filtered over John's features as he sipped at his coffee. "I could always wait in your room for you to get home one day. You walk in, tired, a little irritated at the staff, and there in your bed is a naked Major, covered in expensive chocolate syrup."

"And depending on how much of it you'd shared beforehand might mean you end up laying there with it hardening."

"That would be sharing. You have something better to lick chocolate off of than me?"

"Maybe."

"Hmm, I have competition. What if it was the seventy percent stuff, and just on my nipples? Could I tempt you to lick them then?"

Rodney tilted his head, looking at John for a long moment. "Maybe."

John's eyes flared with heat, but the waitress choose that moment to bring their food, flirting shamelessly. Rodney was a bit gratified that John seemed oblivious to her charms and was still focused on him. "Here you go, luvs. Just holler if you need anything else."

Rodney nodded to the waitress, digging into his food even before she left the table, humming around the eggs. "So, where were you planning on going today before we headed back?"

"There's a look-over point just up the road. I figured we could stop there, get out and look over the edge for a bit."

"As long as you're not pushing me over, sure."

"Nah, if you went over, I'd have to dive after you, and I'm not in the mood to skydive today." John grinned around a piece of toast.

Rolling his eyes, Rodney stuffed a piece of bacon in his mouth. "Of course you've done that. If it's high risk, just call John Sheppard. "

His lover shrugged. "Part of basic training in the Air Force. They had me diving out of planes in the Academy, as a matter of fact."

"Well good for them. Anything else on the agenda?"

John raised an eyebrow, but let it drop. "Meander back. I kept my speed down coming, since I wasn't keen on getting arrested for kidnapping, with you tied down—and I would have been brought up on assault charges if anyone else tried to touch you when you were like that. So I'd like to see what the car can do... if you're okay with it?" His lover's eyes went wide and pleading.

"With or without me in it?"

"Well, if you aren't in it, then I've left you on the side of the road, and I wasn't planning on doing that."

Rodney dropped his fork on his plate, the metal clattering against the ceramic. "What is it with you and racing through the desert at ungodly speeds?"

John blinked. "Um, I like going fast? And I figured out here, there's nothing for me to hit, and no other cars, so maybe you wouldn't mind..."

"How about we go back to Vegas, you leave me at the hotel, and you can go race around and try to kill yourself?" Rodney picked up his fork, stabbing at a breakfast sausage.

"Hey." John reached across the table, resting a hand on Rodney's arm. "If it's that big of a deal to you, I won't do it. I'm sorry."

Rodney pulled his arm away. "I'm not going to stop you if you want to do it, but I want no part of it."

"I'm not trying to kill myself. I just... It's the closest I can get to flying, and sometimes, when I'm grounded... But it obviously bothers you, a lot. So I won't do it. I'll be a good boy and stick to the speed limit."

He didn't comment, instead choosing to eat his breakfast. He didn't want to fight with John and this one subject always got him riled. John risked his life on a nearly-daily basis—it was his job and Rodney couldn’t really fault him for that part—but when it wasn't…

They ate the rest of their meal in silence, John adding it to the bill for the room once they were done.

"I have to use the restroom," Rodney said as they stood gathering their stuff. "It'll take me a little bit because…" he said gesturing widely in the area of his groin. They moved out of the restaurant, heading for the reception desk.

John stepped forward, pinning Rodney against the wall in an alcove just out of sight from the main lobby. He reached up to caress Rodney's face. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to piss you off. Flying, going fast, it's like... like science is to you. Its part of me, something I can't help. I'm trying to curb it, I am, but cut me some slack, okay?"

"I know, but I can't talk about this right now."

John brushed his lips across Rodney's and then stepped back. "I'll get us checked out and wait for you here."

Nodding, Rodney moved toward the restrooms, taking his time in an effort to cool his own temper. After everything, he didn't want to ruin this trip because he was pissed.

It was probably about ten minutes later by the time he made his way back to the lobby, still walking slowly, but it didn't hurt as much as it had, the muscles loosening up a little. John was sitting in one of the oversized couches, the overnight bag on the floor next to his feet. He got up as soon as he spotted Rodney walking up.

"We're ready to go when you are."

"I'm ready."

Grabbing the bag, John held out his hand, almost hesitantly.

Rodney took it without hesitation and heard John sigh as they moved to the entrance.

The car was already waiting for them, and John held the door for Rodney before tossing the duffle in the back seat and sliding in behind the wheel. "The Scenic Point isn't far. I got directions while you were taking care of business. Just a few minutes up the road."

"Okay," Rodney said, buckling himself into the seat, nodding his readiness to John a moment later.

John hadn't been kidding—in less than five minutes they were pulling in, a few other tourists already out and looking over the railing at the canyon spread out before them. John linked their hands together as they walked up to the railing. "Wow. This really is amazing."

"Nothing like that other canyon on…" Rodney said, clicking the fingers of his free hand, "…M…something. The place with the strange blue flowers."

"I still swear those flowers were trying to eat my P-90." John leaned slightly over the railing to look down, careful not to go any further than the five-year-old a ways down from them.

"They were going for your hair."

"You're the only one with an obsession with my hair." John grinned at him.

"No. The priestess on 956 had a hair thing. And the other guy…medicine…scary voodoo man on 201. Oh, and those kids. Remember the kid, the one who was trying to save a lock of your hair for her collection? And of course there was that monkey-thing that wouldn't let go of your head, snuggled right into that mop on top."

John was laughing now. "All right, all right. It's just hair though. I don't even use any product in it most of the time. It just does this."

"So you claim. I've yet to find your stash of hair product," Rodney said, letting John lead them toward the other side of the lookout point, away from the two large and loud families that had just arrived.

"You could just run your hands through it, feel how natural it is." John made his eyes big and innocent.

"And we'd get arrested for indecent exposure."

"If we can outrun those dinosaur things on PX-255, we can outrun a few cops with nothing better to do than harass innocent men groping each other at the Grand Canyon."

"I have no intention of spending any time in any jail. Been there, done that far too often for my tastes, thank you very much."

With a wicked smile, John grabbed him and pinned him against the railing, kissing him breathless for a few minutes. When he pulled back for air, his lips were a little puffy, and his eyes were sparkling with mischief.

Rodney's eyes drifted to the group of tourists on the other side of the scenic lookout, but everyone was too busy looking over the edge to notice them. "I'm sure you could find a more…remote spot for necking if you tried," Rodney said, his mouth lifting in a smirk.

"Mmm, probably, but what fun is that?" Movement from the other side of where they were drew both of their attention, where a boy, probably around eleven or twelve, was watching them with wide eyes.

"Good, John. Corrupting the youth of America. Any other scenic overlooks?"

John started to pull away, looking a bit embarrassed, but the boy shook his head. "Don't…don't stop. I didn't know boys could kiss other boys." He edged a little closer to them. A quick glance showed no one else nearby.

"John…" Rodney hissed in warning. The last thing he needed was an irate parent.

John's eyes had gone a bit wild, but he turned to the boy. "Um, yeah, boys can, ah, kiss other boys sometimes. Where are your parents?"

Taking the question as an invitation to move even closer, he inched towards them, pointing at the canyon. "They went down there. I didn't want to go so they told me to wait at the hotel until they get back tonight. I was bored and decided to walk around a little."

"And they just left you here?"

The boy nodded. "They gave me $20 to buy lunch later. My name's Chris. When can boys kiss other boys?"

"I am not having his conversation," Rodney muttered, shaking his head. "You answer him." He pulled away from John before moving down the trail.

He heard John answering the young boy. "I'm John, and that's Rodney. Why do you want to know about kissing other boys?"

"I don't know. It just seems weird. Don't you get stuff from kissing other people?"

"Stuff? What kinds of stuff?"

"Like…germs and stuff."

From where he was standing, Rodney saw John's lips twitch. "Well, no more than you would get kissing girls. Rodney and I just happen to prefer each other to girls."

"But why?"

"Well, some people like to kiss members of the opposite sex, and some like to kiss members of the same sex. Rodney and I love each other, so gender doesn't matter to us."

"But why?" Rodney rolled his eyes. Yep. They'd found a winner.

John, it seemed, had a soft spot for kids. He always seemed to get suckered into answering their questions off-world too, when they weren't busy pestering Rodney. "I don't know why. Maybe love doesn't really care what gender you are. I like girls too, but not nearly as much as I like Rodney."

"But he's grumpy."

Rodney heard John's low laugh. "I know. But you want to know a secret? He's pretty cute when he's grumpy."

"That not what my dad says about my mom."

"Everybody finds different things attractive. If everyone liked grumpy like I do, I'd be pretty sad, since I might not get to keep Rodney to myself. Do you have a girlfriend?"

"No! I don't need them. And besides, they just cry and giggle a lot."

"Give it a few years, and I bet that giggling will be a lot more interesting."

"I doubt it. Maybe I like boys, too. They don't do any of that…stuff."

"Ah, well... I should probably point out that not everyone feels the same way about boys kissing boys as Rodney and I. Some people don't like it. If you do decide you prefer boys to girls, don't let anyone tell you it's wrong, okay?"

"Okay."

"Have you ever...wanted to kiss a boy before? Or did you just see us kissing and it made you curious?"

The boy leaned forward, glancing toward Rodney and whispering something in John's ear.

Rodney watched John's lips press together, and he recognized that his lover was trying very hard not to laugh. Instead, he nodded seriously. "Give it a few years. Kissing doesn't get interesting until after puberty."

"What's puberty?"

"Puberty is when the opposite—or in my case the same—sex starts getting interesting."

"How?" Rodney turned, looking out over the vista, so glad he was over here instead of answering twenty-three hundred questions.

"Hormones." He had to choke back a laugh at how serious John sounded.

"How do…hormones make other people interesting?"

"Chris, I'm not sure this is the kind of conversation you and I should be having... your parents might not be very happy that I was the one to answer them, instead of them."

That was the same thing Rodney had thought…oh about ten minutes ago. "But they're not here."

"But they'll be back later, right? Wouldn't you rather hear their explanation of hormones, over mine?"

"They never answer my questions," the boy said. "They're usually arguing about money or something."

John glanced back, catching Rodney's eye. Rodney could see the compassion in his lover's face, and that he was silently asking permission to stay a bit longer.

McKay shrugged. John knew how much time they had better than Rodney did.

With a small smile, John turned back to Chris. "Rodney and I can't stay too long, we're meeting friends in a little while, but I can answer a few more of your questions, okay?"

"You can?" the boy—Chris—responded, his face wide with surprise. "Really?"

"Yup. Why don't we go sit on that bench instead of making an old guy like me kneel on the ground?"

Rodney watched as John pointed to a bench near the railing that no one was occupying which Chris ran to immediately. Meeting John's eye briefly, Rodney pointed up toward the next area with a vantage point, letting John know that he was heading up that way to look. Eavesdropping on two ten-year-olds was only so much fun.

John detoured slightly, brushing his lips across Rodney's. "I won't be long. I can remember being the out of place kid, and there were a few strangers who were kind to me that I still remember fondly. This is the least I can do to say thanks."

"Take whatever time you need. I'll be enjoying the view."

"Thank you." He kissed Rodney lightly again and then headed over to sit next to Chris, who was staring at them with wide eyes again.

Shaking his head, Rodney absently waved his hand as he headed up the next trail along the edge of the canyon, his eyes fixed on where he placed his feet more so than the scenery until he reached a more level area where he paused to look and simply breathe.

This was probably the first time in nearly a week that he'd been on his own and not at work—and it felt strange, like part of him was missing.

It's funny, he thought, pausing by the railing to view yet another panoramic scene, a few weeks ago he would have never felt this way, felt that he needed John close, that he missed not touching him—even if it was only a brush of fingers against skin.

Rodney continued to walk and muse, finally stopping at the end of the trail, settling in a secluded spot away from the main group of tourists to watch the birds flying through the canyon, catching the air currents and riding them until they needed to start flying again.

He was surprised when arms encircled him from behind, breaking his concentration.

"Corrupting our youth, queer?" It was a harsh voice, laced with the strong smell of alcohol.

"God! What?" Rodney tried to turn, adrenaline flooding through his body. The arms held him in place, tightening down as he tried to struggle. This was bad bad bad. Why wasn't he paying attention? He knew better. "Get—"

"Get your hands off him." John's voice was low, dangerous. Rodney saw him coming around the corner, and behind him a little ways, the boy he had been talking to.

"John—" Rodney started, knowing his eyes were wide, but the guy just held on tighter, pressing up against him.

Rodney recognized the way John was holding himself, the look in his eye. He played the easy-going, laid back, regular guy most of the time, but he was a special-ops pilot, trained to fight when necessary. He advanced on the man holding Rodney. "Let go of him. I don't know what your problem is, but I'm not looking for a fight. Let him go and walk away."

"What are you gonna do, pretty boy?" the man asked, dragging Rodney back a few steps, off the trail and toward an area without guard rails.

"Come on…" Rodney pleaded, hearing his voice shaking a little, "let me go and we can forget all about this."

John was stalking them, and when he moved, it was without warning. Rodney found a hand gripping his shirt, yanking him forwards, even as John's fist threw a punch over his shoulder, slamming into his captor's face. The man let go in surprise, and John thrust Rodney behind him. "We're leaving now, and you aren't going to follow us."

The man was in a pile on the ground, the group of tourists looking on with wide, startled eyes as Rodney tried to get back to his feet, his body starting to tremble when he saw the man who had grabbed him.

God. He was huge and drunk and crazy.

Keeping one eye on the grunt, John turned to Rodney. "Are you okay? I saw him stagger after you, so I thought I would come check to make sure he was leaving you alone."

He nodded, arms wrapping around his upper body, his hands rubbing against where the man had gripped him. The edge was so close and then there was the underbrush and who knows what might have happened. "Fine. I'm fine."

John stepped closer, a hand reaching out to cup Rodney's face. "It's okay, Rodney. I'm not going to let a drunk moron hurt you, I promise."

"Just…just startled me."

"I can imagine." John looked past him. "Chris, why don't you go wait for your parents in the observatory? I think Rodney and I should probably be leaving. We don't want to cause any trouble."

The boy looked between the two of them before turning back to John. "He going to be okay? He looks like he's gonna puke."

John had linked his arm through Rodney's, and was steering him back towards the car, Chris now trailing them. "I'll take care of him, don't worry. That's what people who care about each other do, they take care of one another."

"I'm fine," Rodney heard himself mutter. "Just startled me."

John breath whispered across his ear. "I know. But I still want to take care of you."

Rodney shivered, finding himself nodding.

When they got to the car, Rodney was only vaguely aware of the boy still behind them. John turned Rodney around, pressing him gently into the side of the car, hands running all along his body, checking him over. "Stay with me love. You're going into shock."

"…here. I’m fine."

Once he had reassured himself that Rodney really wasn't injured, John pressed his body up against him, letting him soak up his lover's warmth. John nibbled along his neck, whispering softly between kisses that it was okay, that he was there, that Rodney really was fine.

"He gonna be okay?"

John looked up from Rodney's neck, turning his head slightly. "Yeah. It just took him by surprise. No one handles being grabbed from behind like that very well."

"I can go get a Coke or something. I know my mom gives it to me when I'm not feeling well."

Rodney felt John's soft smile against his skin, and then his lover was digging in his wallet, pulling away slightly to hand over some money to Chris. "That would be great. He gets sick when his blood sugar gets low, so getting him a Coke would be very helpful. Thank you."

"I'll be right back!" Chris said and Rodney heard his feet running off down the pavement probably toward the vending machines he'd seen outside the observatory building.

John refocused on him, running the pad of his thumb along Rodney's jaw. "Want to sit down for a minute?"

"I'm okay. He didn't hurt me. Just…I wasn't expecting it."

"He was drunk. Did he say anything to you before I got there?"

"Something…something about corrupting children."

John's eyes went flat. "Son of a... He's lucky I didn't know that before, I wouldn't have walked away."

"I'm sorry," Rodney said, finally looking John in the eye. "I didn't think anything would happen. I should—"

John cut him off with a kiss, hard a first, then gentling. "It wasn't your fault. You were enjoying the day, and someone who had quite a bit more alcohol than was good for him did something stupid. It shouldn't have happened, and I'm sorry you had to deal with it."

"Wow. It sure looks like he likes kissing you."

Rodney felt the curve of John's smile still against his lips before he pulled away again. "I told you, kissing gets really nice once hormones kick in. Thanks." John took the Coke being offered, opened it and handed it to Rodney, staying close enough that at least some part of them was pressed together the whole time.

Sipping at the soda, Rodney felt a piece of him start to calm down, the sweetness filling his senses for a brief moment, reminding him of home and college.

"You gonna take care of him?"

John's arm had slipped around his back, pulling Rodney close. "Yup. I'll make sure he's okay. That's what I do best."

"And you were amazing!" Chris said, his face brightening. "You just…knocked that guy out. Wait until I tell mom and dad!"

John shook his head. "Fighting is only for when you don't have any other choice. I was trained to defend my people, but I don't like it. You heard that I asked more than once for him to back off and walk away before I punched him, right? And then once he was down, I walked away."

"But you were like…" Chris started to punch the air, his face all serious and tight. "And it was amazing."

John dropped down to one knee, one arm still around Rodney's legs. "Chris, I'm not saying you shouldn't learn to defend yourself. But promise me you won't pick fights with people, and when you do have to use force, you only use what's necessary to end the conflict then walk away. I'm not above using force to protect myself and those I love, but I won't use it without provocation. If I did, I would be a bully, and I don't want that, and I don't want it for you, either."

"But why? People do it all the time."

"I know. And I can't stop that, and it's why I choose to learn how to defend myself—so I wouldn't be a victim. But at the same time, just because other people behave badly, that doesn't mean we have to, right? If you really want to learn to fight like that, ask your parents to let you take karate lessons. That way you can learn the right way to use force." John pulled his wallet back out, flipping through it until he found a small card with his name, rank, and a military email address stamped in it, with the USAF logo. "Here's how you can get in touch with me, if you ever want to know when it's appropriate to use force, and when it's not."

"You're in the Air Force?"

John nodded. "I'm a pilot."

"Wow. That is so cool," Chris said, adoration on his face as he looked at John. Another one bites the dust, Rodney thought vaguely, sipping at the Coke.

John's grin got wide. "I think so. Flying is one of the best things in the world, topped only by a few things you aren't old enough to appreciate or participate in yet."

"Like kissing."

"Like kissing." John held out his hand, shaking the boy's. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Chris, and I hope you'll write to me. There's nothing better than getting letters from home when we're out in the field. I'd like to hear if you decide to learn karate, and when you discover kissing. Unfortunately, Rodney and I need to get going. We're meeting friends tonight, and we have a bit of a drive ahead of us."

"Okay. Cool. Mom and dad won't believe me when they come back."

Standing, John offered Chris a sharp salute—Rodney knew he didn't do that for many people, commanding officers included. "Tell them they can write to me too if they want to make sure I'm not a weirdo."

"I will. Thanks," he said giving John a big smile before turning his attention to Rodney. "Hope you feel better. That guy was huge, but you have John to protect you."

John nudged his side softly, throwing him a look that was equal parts smug and pleading.

"Yes, thank you," Rodney muttered.

John leaned in and kissed Rodney's neck, whispering "Thank you," before waving to Chris. He walked Rodney to the passenger side of the car, opening the door and getting him settled before sliding in on the other side. A hand snaked over to twine itself through Rodney's fingers. "Hey."

"Hey," he responded his eyes fixed on the bottle of soda in his hand.

John's thumb caressed the back of his hand. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Does feeling like an idiot count?"

John had gotten them back on the road, but he glanced over, concern on his face. "There's nothing to feel like an idiot about. A guy grabbed you from behind, when you had no reason to be wary. He was big enough that unless you knew how to break a hold—which I haven't taught you yet and probably should—you weren't going to be able to break free on your own."

"And he reeked," Rodney said, the scent filling his head again and Rodney could feel himself paling.

John's hand squeezed his. "I was watching for trouble, and I missed it to. I saw him go around the corner you had disappeared around, which is why I followed, but I obviously wasn't fast enough. I'm sorry."

Rodney shook his head. "I should have known better. Let my guard down."

"You had no reason not to. This is Earth, the Grand Canyon for fucks sake. We shouldn't have to be on our guard here."

"Can you pull off? I need to get out of the car for a minute."

John immediately pulled the car over, coming to a dead stop. "Rodney?" His voice went up an octave with concern.

Rodney unlatched the seatbelt and was out of the car a few seconds later, stalking toward the gravel trail that ran beside the road. He just needed a few minutes to have his breakdown without an audience.

He heard the other door close quietly, and sensed more than heard John move close. The soldier must have seen something in Rodney's face, because he didn't try to touch. "Rodney? Talk to me. Tell me what's going on in your head."

"I…I just need a few minutes. Can you give me that?"

"Anything you need. I'll be at the car, okay?"

Rodney nodded, not looking back, listening as John's footsteps headed back the way they came. God. He hated this. Hated feeling so helpless. Hated the after-panic breakdown. He'd thought after all this time he'd be over it, but it still happened—not every time—but often enough that he knew how to handle it.

Taking several deep breaths, he wrapped his arms around his body, feeling the trembling subsiding once again.

This time as the stared out over the canyon, his senses were on high alert, listening for every sound, every breath of air, passing gust of wind. He heard footsteps, and turning, spotted John looking down the path at him, concern on his face.

Taking another deep breath he finally felt something slide back into place and he nodded to himself, moving slowly back toward John. Wrapping his arms around the other man once he reached him.

"I'm sorry."

John pulled him close, arms holding Rodney tight. "What can I do to help?"

"This is perfect."

John nuzzled the side of his head, pressing soft kisses into his skin. "Love you."

"Mmm," Rodney sighed, feeling himself start to relax once again.

"If we weren't in the middle of nowhere right now, I'd strip you, tie you to the bed, and make you forget the fucker ever touched you. No one gets to do that without your permission."

"Fuck me or touch me?"

"Touch you. No one but me gets to fuck you."

"Hmm," Rodney said, tilting his head up toward John and licking his lips. "Good to know."

"If I thought I could get away with it, no one but me would touch you, either. But since I know that's not possible, I'll settle for only people who get your permission get to put their hands on you. Otherwise I beat them into the ground."

"Hmm…so you'd beat up Kavanaugh for me then?"

"It would be my distinct pleasure." John nibbled on Rodney's lower lip, sucking it in briefly before releasing it again.

"Might be fun…just to see what he'd do," Rodney thought absently, leaning in to meet John's lips in a much deeper kiss.

When they broke for air, John was smiling. "I could always stand around and look menacing, make him start jumping at shadows waiting for me to beat him up."

"He jumps when Zelenka walks into the room," Rodney said, a chuckle in his voice remembering an incident where Radek had walked up behind the scientist and scared the living daylights out of him by dropping an empty metal mug.

God, the slight of Kavanaugh with stains on his pants…

John was grinning as he licked his way into Rodney's mouth again for a while, pulling back reluctantly. "I hate to say it, but we really do need to get going again. I can make up some time, but I want us to be able to relax a bit before we go to dinner."

"Okay," Rodney said nodding, letting John lead him back to the car, giving him another deep kiss before settling him inside.

John dug around behind the seat before he strapped in, pulling out the wrist cuffs. "I'll take them off before we get out again, but I think they'll help you relax a bit."

Rodney felt his eyes widen before he nodded again, holding out his wrists to John, watching as he secured the leather cuffs into place, locking them closed before adding another padlock to link them together. Showing Rodney another lock, he leaned down pulling up McKay's pants legs, using the padlock to connect the ankle cuffs as well.

"Just lean back, close your eyes, and relax. I've got you, and I won't let anything happen."

Leaning forward, he caught John's lips in a kiss. "Thank you," he whispered once they'd parted.

John's reply was a soft, affectionate smile before he started the car and pulled them back onto the road.

Tugging at his hands and ankles, Rodney sighed, a sense of calm finally settled over him. He leaned back against the seat watching the road and the scenery fly by, John's hand on his thigh, grounding him.

His eyes eventually closed and he felt himself drifting off, somewhere between sleep and awake, dozing as John drove them back home.

A gentle touch on his cheek and John's quiet words were enough to wake him, his eyes blinking as he recognized the parking lot of the outlet center in Vegas. Without fuss, John unlocked the padlocks from his ankles and wrists, removing the wrist cuffs and putting them away, all the time smiling softly.

He pulled back out into the street and Rodney closed his eyes again, knowing it would only be a few more minutes before they finally arrived back at their hotel.

And sure enough, Rodney felt the car stop and John threw it into park as his door opened, the valet offering a welcoming smile as he emerged, John grabbing the overnight bag as he joined Rodney by the door, taking his hand as they walked inside. John paused by the concierge desk, talking to the woman briefly before they continued on their way—into the elevator and up to the room.

It was only once they were inside with the door locked behind them did John turn to him again, taking him into his arms and holding him tightly against his body.

"Why don't you strip down, and wait for me in the bedroom. I ordered us a light lunch. I'll get it and be in a few minutes."

"I could eat," Rodney said with a half-smile as he nodded.

"I figured. I didn't want you to wait until dinner tonight." John ran his hands up Rodney's chest, under his shirt, rubbing softly at his nipples when he found them. "I don't think you're ready to be fucked again, not as sore as you were this morning, but that doesn't mean I can't make you feel good."

"We can try…"

"No. You can barely walk. I'm not going to risk hurting you. But I do want you naked and waiting for me in the bed. Maybe, if I think you can take it, I'll finger you, but otherwise I am staying away from that pert little ass, as much as it pains me to say it."

"John—" Rodney whined, only to be cut off when John's hand closed in over his mouth.

"Naked, Rodney. And pull the cuffs out of the duffle for me while you're at it."

Once Rodney nodded, John let go of him. Picking up the overnight bag, McKay headed to the bedroom, glancing over his shoulder to watch John puttering around the kitchen, putting the bottle of Coke in the fridge.

Once in the bedroom, Rodney dug out all of the toys they'd brought with them, putting them on top of the dresser along with the extra bottle of lube. Stripping out of his clothes he put them in a pile on the floor. After that…drunk touched him, he wanted to get them washed immediately.

He heard John talking to someone out in the living area, and a few minutes later he came in with a plate of cheese and fruit—no citrus. John's eyes swept his body appreciatively. "What do you want first, cheddar or strawberries?"

Rodney shook his head as he settling on the bed. "Doesn't matter, but that looks great."

John set the tray on the end of the bed and climbed up next to Rodney. He selected a piece of the cheese and held it out, the other hand coming to rest on Rodney's thigh.

Reaching out to grab the offered cheese, only to stop when he got a glare from John. "What?"

"Am I going to have to tie you down before we eat?" John avoided his hand and pushed the food against Rodney's lips.

Opening his mouth, Rodney glared at John, but took the food, moaning at the taste. The cheese was amazing, extra sharp and exactly the way he liked it.

"Jesus... I need to find out what kind of cheese this is, if it rates porn noises." John shifted on the bed, picking up a strawberry and holding it up to Rodney's mouth. "I bet it'll taste even better if we alternate sweet and salty."

Rodney took a bite of the strawberry, chewing it as he held John's gaze. "Some cheese is just…mmm…and I haven't had good cheese in a long time. I'm Canadian, so cheese I know."

John grinned, and once the strawberry was gone, he picked up another small cube of the cheddar, dragging it across Rodney's lips before pushing it into his mouth. "Cheese and chocolate. I think I can handle that."

"Aren't you going to have some?"

"It's hot watching you enjoy it."

"I can't eat that whole plate by myself. Have you thought about the whole…constipation thing?"

Laughing and shaking his head, John picked up a piece of cheese and popped it into his mouth. "Mmmmm. This is good."

"Do you think I'd make porn noises over just okay cheese?"

"You make porn noises over coffee, how was I supposed to know?" John ate a piece of apple, then held out a slice for Rodney.

"Coffee is worthy of porn noises," Rodney said taking a bite.

"You realize I get aroused every time you make them. I have to talk very hard to my dick before I can get up and leave restaurants respectably."

Rodney felt his eyes widen. "Really? Huh. Maybe I should make more, then."

"You are evil." John grinned and leaned forward to kiss Rodney lightly, chasing the taste of cheese and fruit around his mouth.

"So are you," Rodney said once John leaned back.

"I'm not the one contemplating making his lover so hard at restaurants he embarrasses himself."

Rodney chuckled, taking another piece of fruit from John's hand.

John continued to feed them both, his free hand caressing random patches of Rodney's skin, until the tray was empty.

"Thank you. That was good," Rodney said as John got up, placing the tray on the dresser.

Grabbing the cuffs as he came back, John gestured for Rodney to hold out his wrists so he could attach them. "You're welcome. I figured dinner isn't for a few hours yet, so that will hold us over."

"If we actually eat," Rodney said, watching as John locked the cuffs into place.

"Harry will have conniptions if we don't. I can guarantee you he will have more food ordered than an Army battalion could eat." Grinning, John pushed him back into the bed, attaching the cuffs to the restraints on the four corners of the bed, leaving Rodney completely open, although the straps weren't tightened down to the point he couldn't move. Yet.

Rodney tilted his head, watching as John slid from the bed again. "Well, I’m glad someone knows how to throw a party the right way."

With a crooked grin, John started to slowly unbutton his shirt, letting Rodney watch him fondle the buttons. "I haven't decided yet whether or not I'm going to take the chastity cage off. Do you want to get hard for me? Do you want to leak for me as I play with you?"

Rodney moaned, but held John's eyes. "Whatever you want."

When the last button was undone, John let the shirt slide from his shoulders, and started on his jeans. "I could just straddle you, make you watch while I touch myself, get myself off. I could take the cage off and fuck myself on you, feel you deep inside me, know you want to set the pace but you have to take what I give you."

Watching as John continued to tease him as he stripped, Rodney moaned, wanting to touch, but unable, his hands clenching and unclenching, tugging at the restraints.

When he was naked, John climbed onto the bed, straddling Rodney, flicking at the rings in his own nipples. He was already half-hard, and making the gaspy noises that came out of him every time his nipples were played with. "I should release your hands so you can sit up. I want to feel your mouth, doing this. The only problem is that we already know I can—and will—come from you playing with my nipples, and with the rings… let's just say I don't want this to end too soon." His hands dropped away from his own body, and started to play with Rodney's nipples instead.

Rodney moaned as soon as John's hands touched his skin, closing his eyes so he could concentrate of the feeling of skin on skin, of how John's expert fingers tweaked and tempted his nipples.

John's hands moved down, caressing him around and through the plastic. He heard the clink of a key and felt a soft tug, and then the cage was gone. "Get hard for me. I want to play with you."

With John's hands on him, it didn't take Rodney long to obey, moaning and squirming as John stroked him, held him.

John hummed his approval, kissing the tip of Rodney's dick, hands roaming once more. "Don't come. I want to touch you like this, hard and needy for me."

"All for you…" Rodney whispered as his body came alive for John.

Fingers and lips went everywhere, exploring him, loving him. John exploited the fact that Rodney was completely spread out for him, licking the crease between his legs and torso, scraping a fingernail lightly under his arms—touching places that normally got ignored or overlooked.

Rodney moaned and begged, his vocabulary limited to "more" and "please" and words without any consonants at all.

The shock of cool lube being applied to his erection made him open his eyes, just in time to watch John lower himself down, impaling himself on Rodney slowly.

Rodney tried to arch upward, but the bindings held him down, John's name on his lips as he keened at the new sensation, tight heat surrounding him.

John began to move slowly, almost using his body to caress Rodney's erection. At the same time, his hands drifted through Rodney's chest hair, finding the pert nubs and rolling them gently.

His body shuddered and trembled, John knowing exactly how to draw him higher, to pull the moans from his mouth. Rodney panted, his eyes sliding closed as he let the sensations wash over him.

John had been adjusting the angle he was coming down on Rodney, and a deep groan told Rodney he had found his prostate. Rising up so far Rodney almost slipped out, John suddenly slammed back down, tearing a sob from his own throat that matched Rodney's. "Can't...hold out....this pace... Rodney, need to feel you..."

With an almost silent shudder, Rodney felt his body let go, wave after wave of pleasure rolling through him, filling John.

John sobbed again softly, and Rodney felt him clenching, milking out a few more drops of pleasure, hot come spilling out over his chest and stomach as John followed him over the edge. "Rodney..."

Panting his lover's name, John slowly collapsed on top of him, covering him with his body as he breathed into Rodney's shoulder, both of them still trying to catch their breath.

"Quick nap before we shower and get ready for dinner?" John tilted his head up enough to kiss along Rodney's neck.

Rodney hummed in agreement even as he felt John beginning to lick at a spot high on the side of his neck, mouthing the area. Rodney knew what was coming.

"Mine." It was whispered into his skin, even as John started to suck and nip, creating a small hickey.

Moaning, Rodney squirmed under John, his body still overly sensitive.

John released the patch of skin, gasping as he felt Rodney's movements where he was still buried inside. "Oh god oh god that feels..."

"John…please…" Rodney begged not sure what he wanted or needed.

Still shaking slightly, John wrapped himself more firmly around Rodney, the small movements causing them both to gasp again until John settled, panting again. "Rodney... love you."

"Need…want to hold you," he finally whispered.

John purred softly, shifting just enough to unhook the straps from the cuffs on Rodney's wrists before snuggling back into Rodney's chest.

Wrapping his arms around John, Rodney held on tightly, desperately.

Their heartbeats, pushed together, slowly evened out. Without lifting his head, John looked up from where he had buried his face in Rodney's shoulder. "Hey."

"Hi," he whispered, pressing his lips to the top of John's head.

"You okay?" John pressed his own lips against Rodney's body.

"Yeah…" he replied after a moment. "Just…yeah."

"'kay." John's voice was getting softer, and Rodney could tell he was starting to drift off.

One of Rodney's hands slid down, settling in the small of John's back just above his ass cheeks. The other curved upward, fingers trailing through the small hairs at the nape of John's neck. He was real, solid, safe.

John purred again, arching slightly into the caresses. "Feels good..."

Rodney closed his eyes, just holding on.

They stayed like that for a while—John's body went limp, letting Rodney know he had fallen asleep—until a buzzing from somewhere near the bedside table jarred them, making John sit up fast, surprise turning to a mix of pleasure and pain as the movement shifted Rodney, who was still inside him. He pulled off with a moan, hitting the snooze button on the alarm. "I was having a nice dream, too."

"Certainly hope so," Rodney whispered with a light smile.

"There was a lot of sex involved." John winced as he crawled to the end of the bed, unhooking Rodney's ankles and pulling the leather cuffs free.

"Sure that wasn't real life?" he asked as he moved, curling onto his side, pulling his legs up a little, the muscles happy to be in a new position.

"I'm not complaining that my fantasy life actually has less sex than my real life." John flopped back down next to Rodney, pulling his wrists over to remove the cuffs.

"Hope you're not complaining," Rodney grumbled.

Once the cuffs were on the bedside table, John kissed the inside of each wrist, tugging Rodney toward him again.

"Nope. Not complaining at all. Remind me next time that bottoming with no prep whatsoever is probably something I should rethink, but otherwise," John nuzzled into Rodney's neck, inhaling his scent, "no complaints to be found."

"Thank you for before," he said after a while, just enjoying the feeling of being held.

John lifted his head, a confused look on his face. "Before?"

"Before." Rodney hand waved absently before attaching itself to John's side again.

"Um, you're welcome?" John had raised an eyebrow, and the corner of his mouth twitched. "And we need to shower."

"I know."

"It'll be fun. There will be a ton of good food, you can meet a few more people who know me, probably hear a lot of embarrassing stories about me."

"In the shower?"

Laughing softly, John pushed himself up and pulled Rodney along with him. "The party we're showering for."

"Oh, that. You sure we can't stay here instead?"

Tangling their fingers, John led them at a meandering pace towards the bathroom. "I'm sure. It'll be fun. Please?" Turning slightly, Rodney saw a bit of desperation flash across John's face. "I...I want you to like them."

"But I like you."

"Mmm. I like you, too. But I guess... I really didn't think about it before, but these are the people who've been in and out of my life for a while now. I tend to come here when I'm either really happy and need to share it with someone, or really upset and needed to get it out. I'm...I'm really happy, Rodney. With you. I guess I didn't realize how much I wanted to show you off, to show people how much I love you, and since I can't do that on Atlantis..."

"I'm a trophy wife now?" Rodney asked with a raised eyebrow as John pulled him into the bathroom.

"No! It's not like that. It's more... I want people to see how amazing you are, how brilliant and funny and fucking sexy..." John pulled him into a kiss, licking his way inside, exploring every inch of his mouth, while backing Rodney against the cool bathroom wall.

As he moaned into the kiss, Rodney arms curled around John, one hand holding onto the nape of his neck, the other sliding down to the small of his back tugging him closer.

When John let them up for air, he rested his forehead against Rodney's, in an imitation of Teyla's head-hug thing. "Love you."

"Love you, too," Rodney whispered, breathing deeply, his erection making itself known once again. What was it about John? It was like he couldn't get enough of him. They were like two horny teenagers.

"Shower." John reached between them and ran a thumb across the head of Rodney's dick. "I'll care of this there."

Groaning, Rodney tilted his head back until it hit the wall. "I'm not going to stop you."

With a last caress that spread pre-come all over the tip, John stepped away, starting the shower.

Rodney watched him, loving the way his muscles shifted under the skin as he moved around the bathroom, getting everything set up for them.

When the water temperature was correct, John held out his hand, gesturing for Rodney to come join him.

Instead, he raised an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth twisting up.

John's mouth gave an answering twitch. "Guess I'll just have to rub all that soap all over myself then." The bastard stepped into the shower, leaving the door open so Rodney could see the water running down his body, quickly joined by ribbons of suds hugging his curves.

"I'll just wait until you're done then," Rodney said, shoving himself away from the wall and toward the bedroom deciding to call John's bluff. "I'll take care of some other…business at hand."

"Don't touch yourself." It was a command, and John's tone left no room for negotiation.

"If you're not interested…" Rodney said, his words trailing off as he stood in the bathroom doorway.

"You can join me in here and I'll take care of it, or you can wait until tonight when we get back. But don't touch yourself. I don't want you to come without me doing the touching."

Rodney shivered at the tone of John's voice. "And if I do?"

"If you do, I'll put the chastity cage on you, and it doesn't come off until and unless I want to taste you again, after which it goes right back on, for the duration of our vacation."

"Oh, really?"

John was leaning on the edge of the shower, dripping water all over the place. He was smiling, but there was a glint in his eye. "You don't come unless I want you to. That means no touching—unless I get in the mood to watch you jerk yourself off."

Rodney held John's gaze for a long moment before reaching down to wrap his hand around himself.

John was out and across the bathroom in almost no time, pinning Rodney to the wall with his hands above his head. "Mine, Rodney. It belongs to me. Mine to taste, mine to touch, mine to pleasure."

Rodney tried to shove John off, but the other man had all the leverage—even soaking wet.

John growled, pushing harder. "Mine."

Sheppard's actions were only proving to arouse Rodney more as he finally saw the real dom side of John—the lust and demand for his complete obedience when it came to sex. It was nearly a minute before Rodney stopped fighting him, offering a nod. "Yours."

John pushed again on his wrists. "Leave them there." Before Rodney could respond, he slid to his knees and swallowed Rodney down, almost ruthlessly hitting all his buttons, trying to make him come as fast as possible.

It didn't take long until Rodney was sobbing for release, John pulling off only long enough to tell him to come before he was pouring down the other man's throat.

While he was still limp against the wall, John disappeared for a moment, returning with the chastity device, which was locked in place. "Now come take a shower with me."

"John…" Rodney panted, allowing the other man to pull him into the shower.

"Yes?" John's touches gentled as he started to wash Rodney. He was rock hard, but ignoring it.

"All week?"

"You can probably change my mind if you really want to, but otherwise, yes. You're mine. I don't want you to come when I can't feel it, can't taste it."

Rodney shivered again before tilting his head up to meet John's gaze, nodding slowly. "Okay."

Humming softly, John finished cleaning Rodney, then linked their fingers, drawing both their hands along his own length.

"What do you want?" Rodney asked, his voice quiet.

"This. I want to feel you touching me." With their linked hands, John was controlling the pace and where Rodney touched. John put his head on Rodney's shoulder and started to pant, keeping it soft and slow. "Like this. Keep doing this." And then his hand disappeared, coming to rest on Rodney's hip.

Concentrating, Rodney kept up the same pace, the same pressure, feeling John start to tremble from the slowness, the gentleness.

"D...down. Fondle my b...balls." There was something hot about having John tell him exactly what to do while he slowly lost himself in the pleasure of it at the same time.

"Same hand?"

John moaned. "Didn't...think of...that. Other hand. Keep... keep doing what you're doing with the other."

"Okay," Rodney replied, moving to comply, keeping up the same gentle caressing strokes, his own desire growing but locked as he was into the chastity device there would be no erection.

He could feel the heat against his skin where John was panting harder now, mixed with the hot water from the shower. His lover's hands were clenching and unclenching on his hips as he continued to moan softly. "H...harder. Close...so close..."

Rodney added pressure, keeping the same slow stroke, adding a twist toward the end that he knew John liked.

"Oooo..." It was all vowels, and John seemed to just melt into him as he came.

Stroking him through the aftershocks, Rodney smiled, loving the look on John's face and the fact that he'd put it there.

"Mmmmm." John lifted his head to claim a sloppy kiss.

Still holding onto John, Rodney returned the kiss, humming into his mouth.

They kissed until they were both starting to get a little wrinkled from the water. John sighed into Rodney's mouth before pulling away, shutting off the water and leading him out of the shower, where he toweled Rodney off carefully. He touched the chastity device with one finger, tracing the curves where it wound itself around Rodney. "Tell me if this gets uncomfortable or chafes. That and the times I want to feel and taste you come are the only times I'll take it off until we're back in Colorado."

"But John—"

John caught his jaw, ran a thumb along it. His eyes were affectionate, but had a hint of steel in them. "I told you what would happen if you touched yourself."

"Yeah, but I didn't think you actually meant it."

"I always mean it. When it comes to the bedroom, to us when we're alone, to sex, you are mine. I don't want any other hands but mine on your cock, bringing you pleasure. I want to be the one who puts that look there, who makes you gasp and moan with need."

"I see that now," Rodney huffed, but without the normal amount of heat.

John leaned in to nip and lick along the same path his thumb had taken a moment ago. "I'm very possessive."

"I knew that already. Well, at least I thought I did."

John's mouth gentled, turning to light kisses. "You like that I'm possessive."

"Maybe," Rodney said, feeling his face flush.

John hummed again, moving his kisses to the sensitive place behind Rodney's ear. "No maybe about it. You like it when I tie you down, claim you. You like it as much as I do."

Rodney moaned, turning his head so John could get a little better access. "So I wanted to wear the chastity device? Is that what you're telling me?"

"You wanted me to follow through. You wanted to know that when I tell you ‘don’t touch yourself or I put the chastity cage on you’, I mean it. And I did mean it.” John sucked on Rodney’s ear his breath soft as he whispered into it.

"Oh…yeah…you did…" Rodney breathed as John's hands and fingers made patterns on his back.

With a last little nip to his ear, John pulled back. "Now we need to get dressed for the party."

Rodney sighed and nodded, not really looking forward to a night of socializing but willing to endure it for John—although, he was certainly looking forward to the payback.

John smiled as he walked with Rodney into the bedroom. "Tonight. When we get home, I'll take off the cage. I'll use the beads again, push them into you slowly, so slow you're begging for more. And when I pull them out in one long rush, you'll scream for me as you come."

"I guess we'll see about that, won't we?"

"Are you doubting me again?" John raised an eyebrow as he pulled Rodney's boxers on, followed by a pair of dark jeans.

"Me? Doubt you?" Rodney said, meeting John's raised eyebrow with one of his own and adding a lift of the corner of his mouth.

John leaned in and nipped at Rodney's lower lip, fighting a grin. "I can't imagine what I was thinking." He pulled one of the new shirts on over Rodney's head and stepped back, admiring. "You really are too sexy for your own good. I thank whatever powers there are out there that you didn't actually realize that before. Otherwise I would have been beating off men and women with sticks to get to you."

Rodney scowled at John, rolling his eyes.

Which only made John's grin get wider. "You know when you pout like that, its adorable, right?"

His eyes flew open wide. "I do not pout."

"You do. You stick your lower lip out, and you pout. But don't worry. I think everyone else mistakes it for 'Contemplating Ways to Blow Us All Up.' I know it's really an adorable pout."

Rodney scowled again, crossing his arms over his chest, adding a glare to the mixture.

John grabbed his own boxers and started getting dressed. "Pouting with feeling, that's even better. That moves it from adorable to downright hot."

"I'm going to go and check out the plasma television in the other room," Rodney said with a sigh knowing he wasn't going to win this round, his thumb pointing to the door.

John grabbed his hand, pulled him in for a quick kiss. "Okay. And I really am going to have a hard time keeping my hands to myself tonight. Considering I'm the only one who can embarrass himself, I promise I'll try not to get too grabby."

"No complaining if you come in your pants then," Rodney said, throwing the words over his shoulder as he moved into the living area, dropping down on the couch as he turned the television on, clicking through the channels.

John's chuckle followed him out, and ten minutes later his lover appeared, dressed all in black—skintight jeans and a shirt that left almost nothing to the imagination. "Anything good on?"

"No. We have satellite television and all the movie channels and there's nothing on. There is something seriously wrong with that," Rodney complained, pulling his eyes away from John. If he looked at him for any length of time he was going to have a bit of a painful problem. "And did you have to dress like that?"

"Like what?" John looked down at himself. "I dressed to go out."

"You are like the walking personification of sex in that…getup."

John looked a bit surprised. He complimented Rodney all the time, but he really never saw it coming when it was directed at him. It was endearing in ways Rodney didn't want to think too hard about. "But it's just jeans and a tee-shirt. Nice ones I'll grant you, but nothing fancy."

"You never see it coming, do you?"

John turned a lovely shade of pink. "It never occurs to me that someone will find me attractive, no. I'm good in bed, and I know you like me, but...personification of sex?"

Rodney knew his eyes were wide and he nodded simply, drinking him in—who cared about a little pain? "Oh yeah."

John's blush got darker. He walked over, wrapping his arms around Rodney and giving him a sweet kiss. "Thank you."

"My cock doesn't thank you, but you…hmm."

"Tonight. Tell your cock it will be worth the wait." John nuzzled along Rodney's jaw.

Rodney tugged John down, the other man landing on top of Rodney, covering him. "I certainly hope so."

John opened his mouth to say something when the room phone buzzed, making him jump, hands immediately going to his thigh, reaching for a holster that wasn't there. It was only for a second and then he shot Rodney a sheepish look and went to answer the phone.

Rodney watched him for a moment, raising an eyebrow at John who pointedly ignored him.

John hung up the phone, and looked around the room looking slightly panicked. "Um, Harry and Gaines are coming up here. Now. Shit."

"And?"

John looked around the room, then slumped. "They are going to tease me mercilessly."

"About?"

"The bed and the very obvious fact that we are making use of it."

Rodney sat up, looking over the back of the couch at John. "Shouldn't I be the one freaking out?"

"You aren't the one they're going to tease." John gave him a wry grin. "I'm not freaking out so much as anticipating years of cheeky emails."

"I'm the one tied to the bed taking it up the ass. Remember that."

"Ah, but it's an ass that was meant to be fucked. They're both gay Rodney—neither of them has ever even had an impure thought about a woman. Being the bottom is not something they'll think twice about."

"So should we even mention the fact that I'm wearing a chastity device to our own party?"

"Ahh, but you asked for it, so it doesn't count. And we both know you're going to come spectacularly hard tonight when we get back." John had moved back to the couch, running one hand through Rodney's hair, letting his fingers trail down the sides of his face. A knock at the door and a cheery "hello!" made John lean down for one last, brief kiss before moving to the door.

"I did not ask for it," Rodney grumbled, rising to his feet and turning the television off as John opened the door.

Harry bounded in, an amused Peter trailing behind him. John got an exuberant hug before the small man was across the room, throwing his arms around Rodney. "Hello, luvs! How are you? Oh I am just so excited!"

"Fine and good to see you, too," Rodney muttered as Harry dashed around the suite, poking his nose in every closet and room.

Gaines and John walked over, and John slipped his hand into Rodney's. "So kids, what have you been up to? Nice place you've got here."

"Just back from the Grand Canyon," Rodney offered, clutching at John's hand.

At Harry's sudden exclamation from the bedroom, all three men turned to see him come flying out, eyes sparkling. "Peter! They have a bondage bed! We were right! Our little Johnny has gone all dom on us." He looked at Rodney and gushed. "Isn't having a dom partner just fabulous?"

Rodney felt himself flush down to his feet.

From the spluttering at his side and Gaines' open amusement, John was having about the same reaction. "Now Harry, you can give poor Rodney tips on how to drive his partner crazy later. If you're done snooping, we should take them down to dinner."

"Later? Why wait until later?" Harry approached again, but this time looked at John first. "You're not going to flip out if I touch him, right?"

John blinked slowly, but shook his head. "N...no. As long as you aren't trying to seduce him away from me..."

"Oh no. None of that. I have mine already. One's enough."

Gaines grinned and hooked an arm through John's tugging him towards the door. "You might as well let him get it out of his system. Sorry, Rodney, but you're about to get a crash course on sub sex, whether you really wanted it or not." The huge man laughed when his partner stuck his tongue out.

"So," Harry said, his arm already threaded through Rodney's pulling him forward, "one of the best things is the chastity device. Has John gotten you a good one yet?"

***

John relaxed back into a booth in the corner, one eye on Rodney, who was talking to Harry and another old acquaintance he had met at dinner—another sub, apparently. After getting over his initial embarrassment, Rodney seemed to be enjoying himself.

The other guests, with Harry and Gaines in the lead, had conspired to keep them apart most of the night. Not that John minded. As long as Rodney was enjoying himself and was where he could keep an eye on him, John figured this was good. A chance to ask questions and get to know people.

The music pulsing around them made him smile. It was all cheesy 70s and 80s, and he loved it. Maybe he would see if Rodney would dance with him later.

"Stop watching him. He's not going anywhere," Gaines said, coming up behind him.

Leaning back slightly to look over the back of the booth, John waved a hand, inviting his friend to sit. "Just because he isn't going anywhere doesn't mean I can't enjoy watching him."

"You've been staring. I’m surprised he hasn't come over here and said something yet," he said, sliding into the seat on the other side of the table.

"He probably hasn't noticed. Rodney can be a bit oblivious about that sometimes. Besides, I have to get my fill in now, before we head back to the base and go back into secretive mode."

"Oh, he's noticed," Gaines said.

John tore his eyes away from Rodney—those pants did amazing things to his ass. "I like looking at my lover and partner. What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all."

John raised an eyebrow, even as his gaze slipped back to Rodney. "So why are we having this conversation again?"

"You're barely talking to anyone else and you're staring at him like he's going to disappear. You're supposed to be enjoying the party, not sit in the corner and sulk."

John whipped his head around, eyes going wide. "I am enjoying myself, and I am not sulking."

"Really?" Peter raised an eyebrow. "Could have fooled me."

Feeling his cheeks heat slightly—he had been doing a lot of blushing lately, and before that he hadn't blushed in years. What was up with that? "I am having a good time. I can't help it though. The last few parties we attended someone tried to kidnap either me or a member of my team, so while I can tell myself to relax, I can't, not completely. Call it a job hazard."

"We're all friends here, John."

"I know." He ran a hand through his hair, and wished he could tell the man about Atlantis, about friends who turn on you, alien vampires who want to eat you, all of it. Sometimes working in a classified position sucked. Instead he offered a lopsided grin. "So coach me, Obi Wan. Teach me how to relax and let loose again."

"Well, Padawan, your young lover has had several drinks tonight already and seems to be chatting up a storm."

John immediately sat up straight. He hadn't been close enough to Rodney to hear what his lover had been talking about. He had just been watching him. "What?"

"Admit it. Social gatherings are not Rodney's strong point."

"Well, no, but what did you mean? He looks like he's having a good time, and I haven't seen anyone storming away in tears, that's usually the sign people aren't as amused by him as I am."

"Around anyone else but you it's like he has something up his ass. I don't know exactly what you saw in him at first but…" Peter shook his head. "He's smitten by you. Maybe that's it."

"Shit. I shouldn't have left him alone. I figured it would be good for him to socialize a bit without me there taking up all his attention. He just doesn't have a filter. Whatever crosses his mind tends to come out of his mouth and he has no tolerance for stupidity." John grinned. "And since he is the most brilliant man in the ga—world, that means pretty much everyone. But he's also loyal, funny, self-conscious, and one of the bravest men I've ever met.

"And yes to the acidic tongue," Peter laughed. "The drinks have mellowed him a bit. Harry's making sure it doesn't get out of hand."

"If you don't take it personally, it's actually pretty funny. He's called me all kinds of names. You should have seen the look on his face when I admitted I had passed the MENSA test, then had the gall not to join." John knew his smile had gone soft as he sought out Rodney again.

McKay was waving his hands, gesturing about something he was explaining. "So how did you two meet? You've side-stepped the question a few times already."

Rodney's hands were distracting John—they got him hard every time. "He's the chief science officer of Atlantis, and I'm the chief military officer. He's also on my team."

"Okay, John," Peter said, pushing up from the table. "It's fine if you don't want to tell me, but you didn't need to start making things up."

"Huh, what?" John blinked. "What did I say?"

"I thought we were closer than this," Peter was saying, already turning to walk away.

"Wait. Peter!" John grabbed his arm. "Seriously, I was distracted by Rodney. What did I say to piss you off?"

"I know you think the New Age stuff Harry believes is a crock of shit, but I won't have you disparaging it and making fun of it at his expense."

"New Age...?" John replayed the conversation back in his head, stopping short when he realized what he had said. He felt all the blood drain from his face and he sat down heavily in the booth. "Oh...shit...um, can you pretend I didn't say that?"

"John?" He could feel Peter's hand on his arm as he squatted next to him.

"Fuck.. oh fuck... I'm not supposed to... we had to sign confidentiality contracts... oh shit..." John knew he needed to stop talking, but he felt trapped in a loop. At least some part of him was glad it was Gaines and not someone else here. At least his friend could be trusted not to start shouting what John had let slip from the rooftops. But he was still pretty sure he was going to be sick soon.

"You weren't kidding?"

He knew how it had happened. He wanted to tell his friends, wanted to share his life with them. His brain had defected at the first available opportunity and blabbed when he was distracted. He just shook his head as he put it between his legs, trying to force himself to breathe.

"Damn." Gaines breathed quietly.

"It's been a really, really long year, and if anyone finds out I said anything, not only is my career over, but I'll probably spend some quality time in a jail cell. So can we pretend I didn't say it at all?" John lifted his head, willing his friend to understand.

"I didn't hear anything."

Fighting off the slightly hysterical laugh that threatened to bubble up, John shook his head. "Good, good."

"Do I need to get Rodney?"

Taking several deep breaths, John closed his eyes, willing his body to relax. "No. He is having a good time. If he wasn't, we'd all know about it. I'll be all right. I just don't spill classified information accidentally every day. Usually takes torture to get it out of me."

"So watching Rodney wave his hands is a new form of torture then?"

"Considering how hard it makes me, and I can't do anything about it right now, you could say that." John sighed. "God, apparently my desire to tank my own career hasn't completely run its course yet. What the hell is wrong with me?"

"Remember, what happens in Vegas…"

John laughed, this time a bit less on the edge. "And you have no idea how much I'm counting on that. And on a completely different note, have I ever given you one of these?" He pulled out one of the same cards he had given Chris at the Grand Canyon. He had actually forgotten he had any until he had seen it when getting money for Rodney's Coke. "No matter where I'm stationed, email sent to that address gets forwarded to me."

"No," Peter said, looking at the card carefully. "I'll…keep this. Thank you."

"I got them a few years ago. The military decided that while it's protocol to assign everyone a new address based on where they're stationed, it made it hard to track down those of us who moved a lot. So they set up permanent routing addresses for us, and issued those cards. I don't have many people to give them to, so I forget about them."

Gaines nodded, something John couldn't place sliding across his face before he pulled out his wallet, tucking the card inside. "Now, why don't you get Rodney on the dance floor?"

Nodding, John stood. "Thank you. For the party, for... you know. Everything."

"No trouble at all. And besides, it makes Harry happy." Gaines shrugged. "It's a no-brainer."

John smiled in Rodney's direction again. "I can understand that. Does it ever ease off, this need to, to make them happy, to touch them and know you put that pleasure on their face?"

Peter glanced over at Harry, laughing at something Rodney had said. "It hasn't yet."

"Good." John knew his expression was probably a little sappy. "You said something about collecting them for dancing?"

"You go. I need to do a few spins around this joint."

John put a hand on the other man's shoulder and squeezed lightly, giving him another smile of gratitude. The words didn't really cover it, but he had to say them again anyway: "Thank you."

"This is your party. Go and enjoy yourself."

"I will. I am." John wandered over to Rodney, catching the tail end of a sentence as he wrapped his arms around his lover from behind.

Rodney immediately tensed, glancing over his shoulder, relaxing when he saw it was John. "Oh. It's you."

"Hey. I heard you were having a good time so I thought I'd come join you."

"Just talking," Rodney said, leaning back against John, loose-limbed in a way John hadn't seen before.

Taking a quick sniff, John raised an eyebrow in Harry's direction. "Just how much has he had to drink? I know he has a pretty high tolerance..."

"I stopped counting at three…" Harry admitted with a shrug.

John tilted his head to kiss Rodney's ear. "How many have you had? Do you know?"

Rodney took a moment, obviously attempting to count in his head. "Five….maybe. Yes, five. I told him no to the sixth one. I think."

John huffed into his lover's ear, amused. "Good to know. Talk about anything interesting?"

"Or maybe four. Huh. Does it really matter?"

"No, I guess it doesn't. Enough to get you tipsy, at any rate. I'm glad you're having fun." John caught Harry's eye—the man had his own soft expression for Rodney, but it was more paternal than lover-like. "So how many idiots have you felt compelled to correct because they were wrong, wrong, wrong?"

"Eleven. I kept track of that."

John's body shook slightly as he laughed. "Got to keep track of the important things."

"Of course," Rodney nodded, a smile on his face.

"Wanna dance?" John let his hands fall to rest on Rodney's hips.

"Hmm. You dance to this racket?"

"Yup. I'll show you how." John unwound himself from his lover, looking up at Harry and the young woman he had been talking to. "Mind if I steal him for a while?"

"It's about time you claimed him," Harry said with a chuckle.

"I was letting him mingle. He didn't need me breathing down his neck the whole time." John snuck a hand around to caress Rodney's ass. He had wanted to touch it all night.

Rodney leaned in, wrapping his arms around John. "I thought we were dancing."

"This is public groping, which is slightly different. I'll show you the difference." With a wave to Harry, John started to lead Rodney to the dance floor.

"What you add some swaying to the groping?"

"Yup. Makes all the difference." Once he had them out on the dance floor, John started to move, leading Rodney.

He followed John's lead easily without the self-consciousness John expected. Apparently a little alcohol went a long way with McKay.

John let himself get lost for a little while in Rodney, they way they felt together, the faint smell of alcohol and McKay he caught whiffs of every now and then. The buzz of conversation around them even disappeared in the music.

As the music picked up, they parted only to connect again a moment later with a hand or a touch, the two of them moving in time. Vaguely, John realized something very profound: Rodney could dance.

With a grin, he let himself go even further, pushing them both. An answering grin from his lover let him know the other man was enjoying it as much as he was. They were both in decent shape, so they danced for a while—John lost count of the songs—before they were both too winded to keep going. Linking their hands, they meandered off the dance floor, looking for a place to sit for a while and catch their breath. "You were holding out on me. You're an amazing dancer."

"I'm okay. I know how to find the beat, that's all."

"You're fantastic. We are doing that again, as often as possible." John found them a booth—not as isolated as the last one he had occupied—and tugged Rodney into it so they were leaning on each other.

"John, I'm all sweaty—" Rodney protested, moving away, but John pulled him back.

John licked a patch of skin on his lover's neck, moaning softly at the sharp taste of distilled Rodney. "I like you sweaty."

"I need something to drink," Rodney said after a few minutes as he relaxed into John's arms.

"Want a Coke?" John flagged down one of the few waitresses wandering around.

"I was thinking water and then something a little stronger."

John thought about saying no, that Rodney didn't need any more alcohol, but his lover was a grown man, and he didn't seem drunk. In fact, the exertions from their dancing seemed to have sobered Rodney up a little. "What were you drinking?"

Rodney shrugged. "Something with lots of Vodka and no citrus."

When the waitress arrived, John thought about it, and ordered a drink he was pretty sure Rodney would like, since he wasn't sure what his lover had been drinking previously. "He'll have a Cossak, and I'll just have a Coke."

She nodded, offering Rodney a smile. "He has good taste."

John blinked, looking over at Rodney, a somewhat goofy grin on his face, he was sure. "That's what you were already drinking?"

"Um…I was?"

"Yes," she smiled again. "That was one of them."

John shook his head, brushing his lips lightly across Rodney's. "He'll have that. Thank you."

"And just a Coke for you, honey?"

"Yes. I don't have any tolerance at the moment, so I'd get tipsy if I breathed the fumes in too fast. Thanks though." John actually had had a few glasses of wine, one with dinner, and one since he got here, but he didn't really want to get drunk.

"Oh…" Rodney said, sitting up slightly, his finger rising in the air. "And water, but—"

"But no citrus. I know. I'll bring a bottle."

"I think the waitress likes you, Rodney. She remembers your drinks." John grinned at her, winking.

"She wants a good tip. Of course she remembers."

"Nah, I think she just thinks you're cute. Cause you are." John grinned at her again, which had her laughing as she left to go fill their orders.

Rodney's cheeks were flushed—a combination of the exertion of dancing and the compliment he'd thrown his way. "She was just making sure she got on your good side."

John nuzzled into Rodney's neck again. "Mmm, you smell so damn good. But no, I'm not drinking any alcohol. It's your good side she needs to stay on."

"That's not what Harry told me."

"Oh? What did he tell you?" John scraped Rodney's neck a little with his teeth, aware he was the only one who was going to have some awkward bulges to explain away, but unable to help himself.

"That I needed to make sure you were happy."

"Oh?" John knew Rodney, even drunk, wouldn't be able to resist talking if given the proper encouragement.

"Yes. If you were happy, then I'd be happy. Very simple concept."

"I thought it was my job to make you happy."

"It's kind of a feedback loop thing. If I can make you happy, you can do the same and then if I'm happy I want to make you happier and so on and so on." Rodney's hand was gesturing, waving in the air as he explained. "But it also works the other way 'round. If I screw up then I can expect you to be annoyed or angry or something, and that in turn will come back to bite me in the ass—figuratively, not literally. We both know how that whole literal thing goes."

"Hmmm. He said all that, huh?" John smiled as he rested his head on Rodney's shoulders. "It works both ways too, though, right? If I can make you happy, then you'll want to do the same for me. And so on."

"Of course. It's that…" Rodney waved his hand, "…feedback loop thing. Vicious cycle if you ask me."

"I don't know," John slitted his eyes, inhaling Rodney again, which, of course, went right to his dick. "I happen to like feedback loops."

"Hmm," he said, settling back a little closer. "I'll have to keep that in mind. And I didn't realize there was so much to this whole submissive thing."

"There's only as much to it as we want there to be. Anything you aren't comfortable with doesn't have to be a part of our relationship." John moaned again, softly, as Rodney's hand landed on his thigh.

"Oh, I know, but it still is interesting," Rodney said, using his hand for leverage to turn so he was facing John—seemingly oblivious to the man's arousal. "Some of it I haven't even considered and it was interesting to hear about it from his perspective. I would never have known that he and Peter had any kind of…dynamic in their relationship until he started talking about it."

"Mmmm. Yeah. It can be as private or as public as we choose to make it." John tried to ease Rodney's hand away from his groin—while he would really like the contact, coming in his pants in the middle of a party wasn't really how he wanted to end the night.

"Which I know and realize," Rodney continued, his hand moving completely away and starting to wave in the air a little as he spoke, "but I guess I might not have realized the entire…scope of things until now. It's actually a very interesting study on human behavior."

John smiled as the waitress came back, sipping on his Coke for a moment while Rodney downed half the bottle of water before setting it aside in favor of the alcohol. John used the time to get his body back under control. "I've always thought, as a people, we try to box sexuality and our preferences in the bedroom into such tight corners, we forget sometimes how much more is out there. I guess that's one of the reasons I'm the way I am."

"And, see, I've never really had a big hang-up when it came to sex. A lot of times it's a matter of taking what you can get when you can get it," he shrugged, picking up the drink and sipping at it, his eyes fluttering as he took a larger sip. "Oh, God, that's good. And I know for me personally, that's how it always was—especially because of my postings. I was never in one place very long and when no one likes you, you take whatever you can get." He shrugged, taking another long sip of his drink. "It wasn't a bad way to live."

John ran a hand up Rodney's thigh, catching his tipsy lover's attention. "Maybe not at the time, and I've done my fair share of taking what I can get, but I prefer it this way, exclusive, with someone I care about. It means more, feels better."

"Yeah, there is that," Rodney concurred with a nod of his head. "It's just different."

"Yeah. Different and better." John resisted the urge to nuzzle Rodney again, knowing it would only lead to problems. Two people sliding into the booth across from them saved him from temptation.

"You two decided to take a break, did you?" Peter asked as he settled in, an arm around the back of the chair, Harry leaning against him. "I wasn't sure you were going to come off the dance floor."

John grinned at them. "We only left because we finally got tired. Rodney managed to surprise me. He's a fantastic dancer!"

"He certainly was," Harry piped up. "You had more than one person watching him move."

John swung an arm over Rodney's shoulder, pulling him closer. "He's taken, so they're going to have to be content with just watching."

"You know 'he' is sitting here," Rodney grumbled as he leaned in to take another sip of his drink. Damn. He was going through it quickly. In a few more minutes, John figured it would be gone.

"'He' can feel free to join the conversation any time he wants." John pushed the cup slightly out of Rodney's reach as soon as he put it back down, trying to be subtle about it. He wouldn't stop Rodney from drinking it, but if he could slow him down some...

Rodney latched onto the bottle of water, fussing with the label instead, his hands having their own energy source—or else it could just be the sugar in the drink. "John's been whining about wanting to dance for days now so I figured it would probably be a good idea to humor him."

"I'm glad I did. We need to do that again. As often as possible." John grinned at the fluttering. He had a real thing for Rodney's hands, and he knew he was starting to get distracted again.

"Go right ahead," Rodney commented, gesturing out toward the center of the club. "The dance floor's open. Have at it. I have a drink to finish."

"Nah. I'll either dance with you, or not at all. But thanks for the offer." He looked up at the grinning men across from him. "I haven't seen you two out dancing yet. How come?"

"It tends to become more than just dancing," Harry admitted with a smile. "Besides, it's more fun to watch."

John shifted slightly. "Um, yeah, I can sympathize with that."

Both Harry and Peter laughed as Rodney turned toward him, confusion on his face. "Dancing turns you on? God, what doesn't turn you on?"

John felt himself flush. "When it comes to you? I can't think of anything offhand..."

Rodney rolled his eyes. "You need a hobby."

"You are my hobby. Why would I want to do anything else in my spare time when I have you?"

Rodney's face flushed and he turned away, reaching for his drink as Peter and Harry chuckled.

"Oh! You know what we should do? We should find a little state fair somewhere and go ride the Ferris Wheel. I love those. That's sort of a hobby."

"That's not a hobby, that's a death-wish waiting to happen. Do you have any idea the number of deaths they have at those stupid state fairs? Shoddy construction and the set-up crews…"

"Actually, they're pretty safe. We can even go online and research the group in charge of setting up whatever fair is closest, and make sure they haven't had any complaints or anything."

"So is that part of your plans for the rest of your vacation?" Peter asked, a smile on his face.

John nodded, pulling Rodney slightly so the other man was leaning into him, enjoying the heat Rodney put off. "Yeah. We have tickets to a few more shows, and I'd like to get out and actually explore the Hoover Dam a bit. Otherwise, we have what? A week left? And no specific plans. Any suggestions?"

"Have you explored all of the hotels? It may seem a little cheesy, but they have some great set-ups and small shows," Peter said after a moment, glancing toward Harry who was looking thoughtful. "What else?"

"Apart from making very good use of that bed? I’m not sure."

John knew he and Rodney were both turning a rather brilliant shade of red—hey, they matched. "We've explored a few of them, and I'd like to check out the others. We've been kind of wandering around as we get time."

"Enjoy yourselves," Harry said, leaning forward his face serious. "This might be the only chance you get for a while."

John sighed, nodding. "I know. Once we get back to the base, there are a few, very close, friends who know. But otherwise we have to be very careful. It's going to be hard, after all this closeness. Fortunately, everyone is used to us spending a lot of time together as friends, so at least we don't have to make up excuses to be seen hanging out."

"What Harry is trying to say is this," Peter started, glancing down at his hand for a moment. "We both know that your job…jobs…are not easy—given both the fact that you work directly for the military or are contracted by them to work. And, from what you've said, you work and live in a very remote posting with a small population of people. That in no way can be easy—especially when you have to hide a large part of who you are." He paused again, taking a breath. "I won't even begin to try and understand what it is you do or what kind of work involves an astrophysicist and a major trained in special ops. But from where I sit—and please, take this with a grain of salt—don't forget that there's more to life than your jobs and your careers."

John nodded, squeezing Rodney's thigh lightly. "I know…we know. And honestly, this might all be a moot point. We could go back and find out I've been removed from my position and transferred back to Antarctica—in which case I plan to retire. What happens after that, who knows. Neither of us has wanted to think that far ahead, and we're still hoping it won't come to that."

"Okay," Gaines said with a nod. "I'm not going to push or preach. That's not what we're here for."

"You aren't. And believe it or not, I appreciate the concern. It's...nice. To know there're people who care what happens to us." John smiled softly. "If I didn't worry so much about the people under my command... I might not wait to find out what they want to do with me, and just retire now. But they need us—need Rodney if not me—and we're a package deal, whether the military knows it or not. We can't just walk away from that."

Rodney squeezed his hand, offering his silent agreement, his other hand wiping the condensation from the side of his nearly-empty glass.

"But, since this is supposed to be a celebration," Harry cut in, pushing past the sullenness that had settled on the table, "we have something for you."

John shook off his reverie, sitting up straighter. "What? But, you already threw us a really nice party and dinner..." He glanced at Rodney and felt his lips twitch, "And you proved that McKay can, in fact, get drunk."

"I am not drunk," Rodney huffed.

"Yes, you are, and it's pretty damn funny." John leaned in to give Rodney a big, wet kiss.

Rodney hummed into the kiss, only pulling back when John finally did. "And trust me on the drunk part. This is no where near drunk. I was in Russia for a long time. That was drunk."

"You were drunk the entire time you were in Russia?"

Rodney sat up, his eyes widening. "No."

"So," Peter cut in before John could comment, "we spoke with Roger the other night."

"You did? He's going to be in town in a few days—we're meeting up with him and Sue our last day in Vegas." John sat up a little straighter, leaning forward.

"Yes, you are. He was a little…surprised when we told him about you and Rodney."

John looked over at Rodney, then back at them. "He was? But I told him I was ordering stuff for both of us. I even sent him Rodney's measurements. And I told him they would be meeting us both here. Why was he surprised?"

"We may have mentioned a little something about the both of you…more than you may have told him. And we wanted to apologize about that first. It just kinda…"

"Slipped out," Harry finished. "We were excited to find out that John had gone all dom on us."

John swallowed. "Oh?"

"But that part is really immaterial," Harry continued, waving his hand absently. "We decided that we had to give you some kind of present since that what you do at parties."

John had a sinking feeling he was about to be embarrassed, so he found Rodney's hand and linked their fingers together. "You didn't have to get us anything..."

"We didn't…" Gaines began, only to pause again. "Okay. We'll start at the beginning. I'm guessing you know that Roger was able to get you upgraded—which is why Harry had to see the room—especially in light of the fact that Rodger had asked for the specifications just for fun, never thinking you were actually going to use it."

Yep. Embarrassing. "Um, yeah, when we checked in and they said my secretary Roger had called and changed the reservation, I knew who had done it. I was, ah, surprised since I hadn't mentioned that little, um, kink to Roger."

"He was actually pleasantly surprised he'd got it so right on accident," Harry said with a chuckle.

"So, when we were talking we figured we wanted to make your stay here memorable," Peter continued.

All this talk of bedroom bondage was, despite himself, starting to interest certain parts of John's anatomy again. He shifted, as images of Rodney tied to the bed, moaning, giving him everything, flashed through his head. "Memorable, huh?"

Harry smirked as if he could read John's mind—or his shifting body—but it was Peter who answered. "The Venetian owed us a favor or two or three, so your room and anything associated with it is on us."

John felt like he had just been hit with something, and he sucked in a breath. "B..but? It's... I know that room isn't cheap... And we've been charging things to it... You..."

Peter shrugged. "They owed us several rather large favors. We'll probably still be able to collect some more even if you charged everything to the room and then some. It helps when you know the owners and manage to get some things done for them quickly and quietly."

John just stared. "You..."

"John," Rodney leaned in, whispering to Sheppard. "I think they're serious and this had better not be a strange drunken hallucination."

"I thought you weren't drunk." John didn't bother to drop his voice, he was still in a bit of shock. "Um, thank you. That doesn't even begin... I mean for everything..."

Harry and Peter exchanged a look before Gaines continued. "You're more than welcome, John. You're like family and this is the least we could do. If you'd given us a little more advance warning we could have done a lot better. But I know you should also be receiving several packages over the next few days—both here and in Colorado Springs. We shipped some stuff directly to Rodney's apartment. Hope you don't mind."

"F...family?" John couldn't even process the rest. Packages? He grabbed Rodney's drink, which had a few sips left, and downed it. "I... you think of me as family?"

Harry looked at John, offering a warm smile. "Who else do you think would have put up with your crap over the years? Of course we're family."

Swallowing hard, John nodded. He was more than a little overwhelmed. He hadn't thought anyone cared all that much about what happened to him before Rodney. It was... exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. "I... you guys have been... I had forgotten what family felt like... I guess that's why I always come here, good and bad times, huh?"

Peter nodded. "I should warn you that Harry picked out most of the stuff. Him and Roger."

John's eyebrow went up, although he couldn't wipe the goofy smile off his face. "They did, huh? Is there anything for me in there, or is it all for Rodney?"

"You'll see. I've been told I'm not allowed to ruin the surprise."

"What happened to the rest of my drink?" Rodney said, finally speaking up, his voice as shocked as John knew his own was.

John reached around and pulled Rodney into a fierce, deep kiss, not backing off until they were both a little breathless. He caught the openly amused looks from his friends—family—across the booth. "You finished your drink."

"I think you finished my drink," Rodney whispered, his hands creeping under the back of John's shirt.

John couldn't stop himself from arching slightly, flushing as he did. "Maybe. But I didn't think you'd mind."

"After this I think I might need another."

"I don't think you need anymore. I just realized all this time I've had family and didn't know it. I want you sober enough to celebrate later."

"We'll leave you two alone for a little while," Peter said quietly, Harry already a few tables away.

John caught his arm. "Thank you. I know that really doesn't cover it but... Thank you."

"Seeing you and Rodney like this is all the thanks we need. Enjoy your time together and each other. You never know when things will change."

"We will. We need to do dinner again before we leave." John released him, wrapping his arm back around Rodney, pulling him close.

"I'll have Harry make arrangements with you later in the week," Peter said quietly. "And if I don't see you the rest of the night, enjoy yourselves and your vacation."

John nodded, sharing a genuine smile with the other man before he moved away. Turning back to Rodney, John curled into his lover slightly. "Did that really just happen?"

"I'm not really sure what just happened," Rodney admitted after a moment, his arms tightening around John. With the way the house lights and the booths were arranged they were nearly completely in the shadows.

"I think I just discovered I have a family of sorts, and we had our entire trip practically picked up, and there's more coming." John found his favorite spot on Rodney's neck and started to nuzzle.

"I think this is our wedding reception," Rodney said after a few beats.

John tilted his head so he could look at Rodney without lifting his head. "Once the paperwork goes through, we are sort of married. The only thing we're missing is the 'I Dos.'. And I do."

"And yes, you do do me well," Rodney said, shifting a little.

Grinning, John let his hand drift under the table, along the inside of Rodney's leg. "Doing you is what I do best."

"I'd have to agree with that statement," he said with a smile. "And, I do, too."

John shook with silent laughter. He had never had this much fun with a lover before. "God, I love you. Have I told you that lately?"

"Hmm…you may have, several times," Rodney replied, drifting closer to John, their breath mingling and Sheppard swore he could taste the coffee and chocolate liquor from McKay's drink. "And we're going to make out at our wedding reception, aren't we?"

"I think it's required. The new couple mingles for a while, dances a few times, then spends the rest of the night discreetly wishing everyone would go the hell home so they can go make love."

"Required. Hmm. I didn't realize that."

"We're falling behind. We socialized for a while. And I'd like to say again that I may have miscalculated, since I'm the only one in danger of embarrassing himself with inappropriate reactions."

"I promise to be good," Rodney said with a smirk as he leaned in a little closer.

"If you make me come in my pants in the middle of the club, I'm dumping water on myself and blaming my drunk husband for tipping it over." John was already starting to pant a little, his tongue flicking out to get another taste.

"I thought you might have a little more self-control than that."

"Not if you're actively trying to seduce me. You make me a little crazy sometimes; I just need you so much."

"I'm here. Take what you need."

John started kissing Rodney's neck again, knowing he was making soft, needy noises and not caring at the moment. Who needed alcohol when he had McKay? "I really don't want to spend the rest of the night in damp jeans. But I really, really want to keep doing this."

Rodney hummed, angling his neck so John could get better access. His hands were touching and stroking whatever they could reach, one creeping up under the back of John's shirt.

"Rodney..." John breathed his lover's name, wishing he could just strip him down and crawl into him, right now, no waiting for later. "We might need to... oh... take this to the restroom or something..."

"Tell me what you want to do."

John angled his head again, so his words wouldn't carry any further than Rodney's ear. "I want to fuck you. Now. I want to be deep inside you, tight and hot all around me. I want to hear the little noises you make, hear you moan and tell me you feel so good, so full..."

"Find us somewhere private," Rodney said with a groan. "That's all I ask."

John stood, pulling Rodney up behind him. He patted his pocket to make sure the key to the chastity cage was still there and then started pulling Rodney towards a back room. On a regular night they were almost always in use, but since this was a private party... John almost whined with frustration when the first one was occupied, but let out a sigh of relief when the second was free. There were only three of them in the place, and he would have been seriously annoyed if they were all taken. "In here. I'll lock it behind us."

"What…is this?" Rodney asked, his eyes a little wide as he glanced around the well-appointed—if small—room taken up mainly by a rather large couch and chair with a smaller cocktail/coffee table in the middle.

"Private rooms, mostly for exactly this. It's a gay club, with a lot of dancing and moving bodies. I've never used them, but I had been in them before when Peter and Harry were showing me around." John started on Rodney's shirt, tugging it up and off so he could run his hands across his lover's chest.

"And no one will…walk in?" Rodney asked, his voice nervous and excited.

"I locked the door. You might hear the knob rattle if someone's checking to see if the room is free, but they'll leave when they can't get in." He started on Rodney's pants, making quick work of them, shoving them, along with his lover's boxers to the floor. He followed them down, divesting Rodney of shoes and material as fast as possible.

As soon as Rodney was free of his clothing John tugged him forward, claiming him with a deep kiss, his tongue plundering Rodney's mouth and getting several moans and groans in return.

One hand caressing all the skin he could reach, John fumbled for the key in his pocket with the other. Pulling back from the kiss, he stripped the plastic from Rodney's body and dropped to his knees, immediately licking and sucking on the wonderful, wonderful dick in front of him. "Hard, I need you hard. I want to taste you now..."

"Oh, god…" Rodney groaned, one of his hands landing on the top of John's head, the other pressing into the side wall with his fingertips.

As Rodney sprung to life, John took him greedily, wanting more, more, more. He felt like he had been waiting all night, and it didn't matter that they had done this just a few hours ago. He forced himself to back off a bit, pulling Rodney back from the edge, wanting to make it last.

"Oh…John…" Rodney whimpered, hand tightening in John's hair.

Not wanting to pull off, to lose the taste and feel of Rodney on his tongue, John just hummed, pulling out every trick he knew would make Rodney feel very, very good.

"Please…John, please…" Rodney's body was trembling and John could feel everything.

Looking up, John kissed the head of Rodney's cock as it came out of his mouth with an audible pop, and then, unable to resist, swiped his tongue across it to lap up the few drops of pre-come he hadn't already gotten. "Want to be inside you. Don't come yet."

"Evil, evil man."

John rose, pausing to kiss Rodney, let him taste himself in John's mouth, before he pulled back. "Lube. There should be lube somewhere in here, and if there isn't you are going to watch a grown man cry..."

"Pocket of my jeans," Rodney replied when he finally caught his breath.

"God, I love you." John fumbled in Rodney's pants, coming up with a small, travel-size tube. He almost came just from knowing his lover was carrying it, and had to press a hard fist against himself to hold it off. "Un...undress me. I need... Rodney..."

"Harry gave it to me," he said as he stepped forward, quickly getting rid of John's shirt. The pants and shoes, however, proved to be more of a problem since John was trying to help.

He finally stood still, fidgeting slightly as Rodney went to his knees to untangle him. He kept up a litany of 'wait to come, wait to come, wait to come', in his head. It just felt so good, his lover's hands on his body. Had it only been a few hours since they last did this?

"John, can you sit? I can't—"

"Yes..." He managed to back up to the couch without killing himself, dropping hard onto the leather.

"Thank you, sir," Rodney whispered, pulling the shoes and socks from John's feet. The pants and boxers followed a moment later. When he was done, though, he sat back on his heels and looked up at John, waiting.

John had to close his eyes for a moment. He was so close, too close. He flicked the cap off the lube bottle, slicking up a finger. "Come here, stand over me so I can stretch you a bit. Then you're going to ride me."

Rodney moved quickly, standing in front of John, his feet spaced widely apart so John could have better access. Leaning down, he put his hands on the table. "This okay?"

John made a noise he was sure wasn't manly at all—and he decided he didn't really care. "So fucking hot..." He was very, very glad they had been doing this enough that Rodney was fairly open already. He made sure his lover was slick inside and then coated himself, tugging Rodney into position, facing him so their chests would rub together as they joined. "Please... Rodney... need to feel you, be in you..."

"Just…be slow, please. I’m still sore," Rodney said as he carefully slid down John's cock, settling in with a muffled moan as he leaned into John's chest, panting.

John almost sobbed—he had forgotten the reason he hadn't fucked Rodney all day. No wonder he was almost desperate for it. "S...set the pace. Ride me. I don't... if I do it I'm going to hurt you..."

"Please, John…just…I trust you."

Settling his hands on Rodney's hips, John began to move them both, guiding Rodney up halfway, then thrusting up to meet him. It took a few tries to get the angle right and the rhythm down, but then they were moving together. "Oh...God...Rodney... not going to... come, please come... I can't...not until you..."

Rodney was bent over a little, leaning his head into John's shoulder, panting and moaning with every thrust. His hands were holding onto John's sides. "Touch me, please, John. I need to feel you…please," he begged.

With a moan, John released Rodney's hips with one hand, sliding it between them to wrap around his lover's cock. He kept it still, so Rodney was fucking his hand as he fucked Rodney. John tilted his head, kissing along Rodney's jaw licking the drops of sweat away as they rolled down his face.

Turning, Rodney's lips met John's, crashing together, a moan erupting from deep inside. With a groan, Rodney's body shuddered hard and John felt come spilling out between them while his lover clamped down on John's cock still deep inside him making Rodney groan even deeper from the sensation.

"Oh..." John let his own groan out, following Rodney right over the edge, thrusting up a few erratic times before he was coming too, his whole body shaking with the effort. Rodney drooped into his arms as his orgasm faded out, so John wrapped his arms around him, pulling them closer together while they caught their breath. Exhaustion washed over John suddenly, the last few days finally catching up with him, but he shoved it away. No time for sleeping yet.

"Oh God, am I drunk," Rodney whispered after several minutes, speaking the words into John's shoulder.

"Drunk and well-fucked. That's a good combination."

"Really well-fucked," Rodney agreed, pressing a kiss to John's skin.

He only had the energy to smile with half his mouth, so John leaned his head to rest against Rodney's, his eyes threatening to close. "It's really early in the morning, too."

"Please tell me we can sleep in."

Oh god. Bed sounded really good right about now. "We aren't getting out of bed until sometime this afternoon. We'll order room service for dinner."

"And lunch and breakfast? Oh god. I can't even think about food right now."

John squeezed him lightly. "I'll get you toast and ginger ale."

"Coke. Coke's better. Flat."

"Whatever you want." John rubbed his back, everything a little…thick in his mind. "Want to get dressed and make our way back to the hotel?"

"Yeah," Rodney nodded after a minute. "That might be a good idea. I don't think I should have had that last drink."

Taking a breath, John pushed off the exhaustion that was threatening and pressed a kiss into Rodney's forehead before gently easing him off. He settled his lover into the couch next to him. "Let me grab something to clean us up with, then I'll get us dressed."

Rodney nodded, tilting himself down onto his side, pulling his legs up a little.

John found the room was well stocked, with some disposable wipes handy for him to clean first himself up, then Rodney. He alternated cleaning his lover with pressing light kisses into his skin, murmuring soft words of encouragement. He really didn't want to figure out how to get a puking Rodney home.

A knock on the door interrupted his ministrations and Rodney's eyes shot open wide, the white a little bloodshot.

"This room's taken. Give us a few more minutes and we'll clear out." John glanced back at the door, irritated someone had actually knocked. Common courtesy was to assume if the door was locked 'do not disturb'.

"John?" Peter's voice replied back, surprise in the tone.

John put his head on the edge of the couch. This day just couldn't possibly get any more embarrassing. "Um, yeah. Hang on. We're, ah, not fit for company at the moment."

"We're closing up shop so I’m doing a walk-through. Sorry. I thought you'd headed back. I won't bother you. Take all the time you need."

"Wow. We made it to closing." John shook his head. "We were just getting ready to head out. I'll come find you in a minute to say goodbye."

"Harry and I'll be here."

John quickly finished getting Rodney clean, then grabbed both their clothes, putting them in more or less the right order. He decided to pocket the chastity cage for the night, since if Rodney had a hang over later, it would only add to the discomfort. "Since you're probably going to be sick, I'm not putting this directly back on. But that doesn't mean I've changed my mind. As soon as you're over the hang-over, it goes back on."

"Just leave me here. I'll die quietly," Rodney moaned as he laid back against the couch, his eyes closed, arms hugging his mid-section.

"Hey, if you can get moving, I bet we can find you some flat Coke to sip on before we go. There's bound to be a can behind the bar they didn't make it all the way through."

"Not moving."

John fought back a grin. Rodney sick was going to interesting. "We can't sleep here. And you'll be more comfortable in the big bed, with no clothes on, and our nice bathroom and shower right there where you can get at them."

"I'm dying. Leave me alone."

John ran a hand across Rodney's forehead. "You aren't dying. Come on, buddy, let's get you home."

"No."

He knew he really couldn't move Rodney if his lover didn't want to be moved. He was stockier and had a weight advantage when he cared to use it. Moving to the door, John unlocked it and peeked his head out. "Hello? Harry? Gaines?"

"John?" Harry peeked his head around the corner, a broad smile on his face. "Glad to see you enjoyed yourself tonight."

John felt himself flush—again. Damnit he really needed to get that under control. "Yeah, it was a really, really good party. I do have one slight problem however. My lover has decided he's dying and refuses to move."

"Dying? What did you do to Rodney?" Harry moved quickly, pushing past him into the room, kneeling down next to the couch where Rodney was now laying across, curled up slightly on his side.

"I apparently let him drink too much." John leaned in the doorway, knowing Harry would probably be better at this than he was—he had more practice.

"Rodney?" Harry tapped lightly on his cheek, speaking again when McKay obviously answered. "I don't know if you're dying yet. I need you to tell me what's wrong."

John jumped out of his skin and had Gaines pinned to the wall behind them after the other man came up quietly behind him, tapping his shoulder. John's eyes widened immediately and he stepped back. "Oh God! I'm sorry! You startled me, and I just reacted..."

"Good reflexes there. What's wrong?"

Running a hand through his hair, John realized he was exhausted, which was probably why his emotions were all over the place and his reflexes were kicking in. "Sorry. Rodney had a little bit too much to drink I think. He's already started on the hang over. I don't suppose you have any flat Coke left behind the bar? That's what he was asking for earlier."

"Probably. They're just cleaning up so I'll grab some." Gaines paused, looking into the room before moving away. "He was fine when he was dancing. The double hit him harder than he thought, eh?"

"That last was a double? That's probably what it was then. I thought he was okay, too. It's only been in the last probably ten minutes that he started feeling sick."

"Yeah. I recognized the glass and I also happened to see the drink receipts. He was the only one drinking Cossacks."

"Huh. Well, I've never seen him drunk before, so this is all new to me. I have no idea how bad it will get. When he gets better, I plan to give him hell—he's told me he doesn't get drunk, that Russia cured him of that."

"He's probably fine with straight vodka, then. Mixed drinks are different. I'll be right back."

Nodding, John turned back to the room, trying to hear what Rodney and Harry were saying.

"…might make you feel better."

"No."

John went back to the couch, sitting on the arm next to Rodney's head and trailing his fingers through his lover's hair. "Hey. Peter is looking for some flat Coke for you."

"Just let me die," Rodney groaned as Harry rolled his eyes.

"Hey, a hang over isn't nearly as bad as some of the shit we've had happen to us. No Beckett here drawing blood—hell, no blood at all—no IVs, no concussions... You'll just be a little sick for a few hours, have a headache tomorrow, and you'll be all better. This isn't even as bad as being strung out on the stims."

"Prefer the stims."

Harry rose to his feet, shaking his head as he moved to talk to John, keeping his voice low. "It's probably a combination of hang over and indigestion. I have some stuff he can take, but I doubt he'll want to. And he might just end up throwing it up."

John kept up the light caresses—he didn't know if they helped, but he didn't think they were hurting either. He kept his voice low, matching Harry's. "Let's try the Coke and see if he can keep it down. We might have to crash here tonight, if you don't mind."

"If he does fall asleep, he probably won't wake up until morning so we can probably get him back to the hotel. We can get in through one of the side entrances so you don't have to drag him through the lobby. Peter can help."

John's lips twitched. "You've done this before, huh?" He sagged slightly. "God I'm tired. I think, once I hit a bed, I'm not getting up for at least ten hours. At least."

"Unfortunately, you might have to," Harry said, his eyes sliding to Rodney as Peter walked back in the door, several pill bottles in one hand and a coke and glass in the other.

"I know." John let his hand trace along Rodney's jaw. "Hey. Peter found some Coke for you. Can you sit up for me and see if you can get any of it down."

"No. Leave me alone."

"Has telling me that ever really worked for you?"

Rodney didn't reply, but John knew he wasn't sleeping. Exchanging a look with Harry, he tried again.

"Rodney? I know you feel like shit, and believe me I'm not letting you drink that much again, but I really do think you'll feel better if you take a sip or two." John held his hands out to take the drink from Peter.

Gaines shook his head. "Get him upright first."

"Seriously, we get chased, captured, tortured, taunted, threatened, and shot at. Through it all you snark and bitch. But a little alcohol and you turn into a five year old." Sighing, John tried to get his arms around Rodney and get him upright.

Rodney didn't hinder, but he didn't help either, and Harry lent a hand, getting the groaning Rodney upright.

Once his lover was more or less sitting up, Peter handed over the soda—thank god he had thought to bring a straw—and John held it up to Rodney's lips. "Just a little bit. Lets see if you can keep this down."

"Rodney, this is part of what we talked out. Let John help you," Harry said quietly.

McKay opened a weary eye, glaring at Harry, but took several sips.

John pressed a kiss into Rodney's forehead.

Harry moved over to Peter, shaking several pills into his hand before walking back to John and Rodney. "I have three things I'd like him to take. Think he's up for it?"

"We'll see. Rodney? Will you try to get them down? They'll make you feel better." John moved from his knees next to the couch to sitting next to Rodney, putting his arm around his lover and pulling him close.

"Don't want to throw up."

"I don't want you to either, believe me. But Harry thinks if you can keep these down, they'll help with the stomach and with the headache."

"I just want to go to sleep."

"I know. I want to get you back to the hotel though. Try to take those, and then we'll get you back to our nice big bed, okay?"

"Really nice big bondage bed," Harry whispered.

"I promise, as soon as you're feeling better, I'll make you feel really, really good. But I can't do that unless we're back in our own room."

"'kay," Rodney said, nodding, opening his eyes to look at John, his expression pitiful.

John felt his heart melt a little. He leaned further in, pressing soft kisses all along his lover's jaw. "Rodney... Come on, buddy, let me take care of you." He took the pills from Harry and held them out for Rodney to take.

Opening his mouth, Rodney let John drop them in, taking a few sips of soda to get the pills down before he closed his eyes.

"Let's give him a few minutes to see how they're going to sit," Harry said. "I'll grab a blanket."

John gave him a smile of pure gratitude. "Thanks. You guys are probably tired too. If you don't want to stay up, I can lock the door behind us when I finally get him moving."

Peter shook his head as Harry headed out. "No. We'll stay until we know how he's doing and we can help get him back."

"Thanks." John pulled Rodney a little closer, rubbing a hand in circles on his lower back.

Peter helped John ease Rodney's feet up on the couch, getting him to more or less lay across the couch using John as his pillow. He was watching McKay carefully, nodding to himself.

John went back to carding his fingers through Rodney's hair. He wasn't even really aware that he was starting to fall asleep until a blanket was draped over his shoulders, making him jump a little. "Wha—"

"Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you. Rodney's sleeping," Harry whispered.

John blinked a few times, trying to get his brain back online. "I should get him home then."

"Peter's bringing the car around. I'll drive yours back."

"If I didn't think Peter would kill me, I'd kiss you right now."

"He wouldn't, but Rodney might have something to say about it in the morning." Harry smiled, shaking his head. "Give me a minute to get the door open and we'll get you both situated in the Lincoln."

"You guys are like saints. We are never going to be able to thank you for all this." John squeezed his friend's arm.

"No need. I'll be right back."

"'Kay." John knew he had drifted off again when soft voices were pulling him back up. "Ngh."

"John?" It was Peter this time. "I'm going to take Rodney to the car. If you can wake up, Harry will help you."

"M'awake." John helped Peter get Rodney standing, then followed, a bit surprised when his legs threatened to give underneath him. It had been a long couple of days—good days, but long ones. He was grateful for Harry's quick grab of his elbow. "I think I need to sleep."

"You both do," Harry agreed. "You need to watch him carefully in the morning and make sure he drinks lots of fluids."

"I'll have to wake him up to eat anyway. He's hypoglycemic. I don't want him to go into shock." They followed behind Peter and Rodney, who didn't seem to be having too much trouble.

"Really? Watch him even more carefully then. I don't know what this will do to his blood sugar."

"Yeah. I don't know either. He probably does, but he's not really in any condition to tell me at the moment. I'll stop at the concierge on the way in and have them bring up toast and soda so we'll have it."

"Good idea. I'll stop and ask when we get there."

John nodded, feeling a bit more awake now that he was moving again. They got Rodney into the car without too much trouble. "Um, keys. You need them, don't you?"

"I can hotwire it if necessary, but keys would make it easier," Harry said, a smirk on his face. "If you give me the keys, you can go with Rodney and Peter."

"You can hotwire expensive sports cars? I sense a good story there." John gave him a tired grin as he dug the keys out of his pocket. "You don't mind?"

"If I minded I wouldn't have demanded the keys. Hotel room, too."

"Hotel? That's in my wallet." John handed over the car keys.

"I'm going to be a whole lot faster than you two and the dead weight. I'll get everything set up."

"Oh." John dug out his wallet and handed the whole thing over.

Chuckling, Harry dug out the hotel key and gave the wallet back to John. "Now go. I'll meet you in a bit."

John gave him another wide, open smile, then climbed in the backseat with Rodney, immediately curling into him.

"We'll be there in five minutes," Peter said as he pulled out into the mostly deserted streets.

Rodney had been asleep again as soon as he hit the car, and John wasn't far behind. He was warm, surrounded by Rodney, the sound of the road lulling him a bit. The next thing he knew, someone who was laughing softly was shaking him again,. "Mmmm, where's the snooze button?"

"Upstairs," Peter said quietly. "Can you get there on your own two feet or do I have to make two trips?"

"M'all right. Just tired." John leaned on the car, attempting to help get Rodney out, but Peter gently pushed him out of the way.

"Stop helping. Why don't you go and stand by the door? I'll get Rodney."

He was just tired enough that he appreciated someone else taking charge. He decided to take it as an order and just follow along for now. John followed along as they made their way to the elevator, leaning against a wall while they waited for it to come. He wasn't even aware he was humming to himself until Peter said something.

"You okay over there, music boy?"

"Music boy?" John blinked. "What was I singing?"

"It sounded like the theme to 'Wormhole Extreme', but I could be wrong."

"Oh. Sorry?" John pushed off the wall, grabbing for something as the room threatened to keep going. God, he only got like this when he was really, really tired.

"John? Are you okay? I can't grab you if you fall."

"Yes? I just haven't slept much the last few days. We were having a good time, but I was more concerned with making sure Rodney was okay."

"I know, but I need you to stay with me for a little while longer," Peter said as the elevator doors opened and he mostly carried Rodney inside, watching John with careful eyes as he moved to follow. "Go slow. I can't help you right now and you'll kill me if I drop Rodney."

"I'm fine. Just tired." John followed him in, leaning against the wall, and fighting the urge to close his eyes again. He was glad the ride wasn't all that far. "I'll go get the door open to the room."

"Harry should be there waiting for us. Let him get you settled."

"I should be helping you." John started to dig for his key, but remembered he had given it away. So he knocked on the door instead.

"It's almost four in the morning, John. You're allowed to be exhausted. Let us help."

"You've been up just as long." Despite his protests, John didn't fight much when Harry opened the door and put a hand on his elbow to guide him.

"Harry, I need you to get John settled and for god's sake don't let him help you. I've got Rodney."

"Hey." John found himself being pulled into the bedroom, gentle hands stripped him to his boxers, and he just couldn't bring himself to object. It felt good to get the clothes off. "Set the alarm for me? I need to get up in a few hours to check on Rodney and make sure he eats."

"We'll do that. Just sleep," Harry said, easing him into the bed. "I don't know how you sleep, if you want your boxers on or not."

"Rodney. I have to—"

"John, stop fighting Harry," Peter said, his voice boding no argument. "We'll take care of him until you can. Now answer his question: boxers or no boxers."

"Sir, yes sir." John crawled up the bed, finding Rodney had been similarly stripped to his boxers. He immediately curled himself around his lover. "On's fine."

"Are you sure? I want to make sure you're both comfortable and we have no issues if you sleep in the nude."

John was already starting to drift off. "Can...sleep either way. Doesn't matter."

He heard Peter sigh. "Harry, take 'em off."

John fought to keep his eyes open, but it was a battle he was losing. He felt both his and Rodney's legs moved enough so Harry could finish stripping them both. John hummed softly as he pressed closer to his lover, no fabric to get in the way. "Sleep now?"

"Yes. We'll be in the other room if you need anything."

"Okay." John stopped fighting his exhaustion, knowing there was someone else nearby to be in charge for a little while. As soon as he let go, sleep claimed him, pulling him down into its welcoming embrace.

***

John climbed out of sleep, rolling slightly to see the clock. 1300. Wow. He had slept really late.

Stretching a little, he checked on Rodney, still sleeping next to him, brushing a kiss across his lover's forehead. John made a mental note to call Peter and Harry and thank them for the help last night.

Taking care of business in the bathroom, John pulled on a pair of boxers and headed out into the main living area. He would let Rodney sleep it off, but he was starving. Room service was definitely in order.

He stopped short when he found two sets of eyes watching him—one amused, the other a little annoyed. "Um. Hi. I didn't realize you guys were still here. Thanks for last night. I was going to order something for lunch. Want anything?"

"We ordered already—as soon as we heard you moving around," Peter said. "Feeling better?"

"God, I think I love you both." John dropped into a chair next to them. "And yes, thanks. I had gotten up early the last couple of mornings, and Rodney had needed me, so I wasn't sleeping much. I guess it all just sort of hit me last night. I really appreciate the help."

"Not a problem," Harry said with a smile.

John started to reply, but they were interrupted by a knock at the door. He started to get up to answer it, but was waved back by Harry. John's stomach growled loudly. "I need to get some food in Rodney, then I plan to devour everything in sight."

"He ate already," Peter said quietly as Harry pulled the room service cart in.

"He did?" John blinked a few times. "He was up?"

"That would be a relative term," Harry said with a half-smile, parking the cart nearby. He uncovered one of the plates to reveal a large turkey sandwich and potato salad, which he brought over to John.

John couldn't help his soft moan at how good the food looked. But he had to make sure Rodney was okay first... "How much did he eat? He's hypoglycemic. I've done some research and he's told me more, but I don't know everything about it yet. I don't want him to go into shock..."

"He's fine," Peter said, his eyes narrowing. "Now eat."

Taking it as the order it was, John sighed as he polished off the lunch in record time. "This is really good. I hadn't tried the sandwiches yet. I've been getting the finger-food stuff. It's good too, but I usually get so caught up in watching Rodney enjoy it, I forget to eat much."

"Harry, why don't you go and check on Rodney?"

Polishing off the last of the sandwich, John shook his head. "It's okay. I'll go check on him in a minute. Didn't you guys eat?"

"We ate," Peter said gesturing for John to stay seated. He turned back to Harry. "Go check on Rodney and stay there until I call for you, okay?"

Harry nodded, his eyes shifting to John for a moment, almost offering him an apology of sorts before he ducked into the bedroom, closing the door behind him.

John watched him go, turning back to Peter, confused. "Um?"

"We need to talk."

"O..kay." John was acutely aware that he was sitting on a stool wearing nothing but a thin pair of boxers. "What's wrong?"

"I know this is all probably as new to you as it is to Rodney, so I'm going to go easy on you, but if you intend on doing this right and making sure you don't hurt him, there are a few things I think we need to discuss."

"I...what? Of course I don't want to hurt him." John wasn't sure where this was going. "Why would you think that?"

"From what I've seen—just in the last sixteen hours—convinces me otherwise."

John sucked in a breath. He felt like he had just been punched. "What?"

"Your partner is lying in the other room, nearly unconscious, because he had too much to drink. You not only didn't stop him from drinking too much, but you were in no shape to actually care for him. If we weren't here making sure he was fed, he might be in a hypoglycemic coma for all we know."

John's eyes got wider as Peter went on, and he felt the blood draining from his face. "No... I was watching him. I didn't know the last was a double. That isn't what I ordered, and if I had known it was that strong I wouldn't have let him drink it at all, much less that fast."

"Yes, you were watching, but only until you were not. Do you even remember how you got here last night?"

"You and Harry. Admittedly it would have been a lot harder—a lot—to get us home without you guys, but I would have if it was necessary. I knew you were there, and you were in better shape to be giving orders, so I let you."

"And yet you slept until what time? You didn't even budge when we got Rodney out of bed this morning to make sure he ate."

"I remember asking to set the alarm, and being told not to worry about it."

Peter leaned forward, his eyes intense. "We set it. Did you hear it?"

John dropped his head to the counter. "No. Fuck."

"Is this becoming a little clearer to you now?"

"If by clearer you mean realizing that I'm as much of a fuck-up in my personal life as I am in my professional life, then yes." Everything he had been suppressing—the reaming he had taken from the generals, having his every move, every command analyzed and dissected—came crashing back down on him. "Fuck."

"John, I didn't want to do this, but for Rodney's sake, I felt I had to. If I overstepped my bounds, I apologize." Peter paused, taking a breath. "What you and Rodney have is very special and tenuous—for many reasons—and I only want what's best for the two of you. But, you've also made a promise to him, to care for him, to be there when he's not at his best. He's made the same commitment to you, but because of your relationship, you have much more…responsibility. It's not a game, or a passing phase. I can tell. But if you start off with bad habits now, something very bad might happen later. I'm just trying to…warn you ahead of time."

"If I didn't love him so damn much, I would probably be running right now. I'm not good at this. I already fucked up one marriage—and I didn't even care about her like I do Rodney. Why is it easier to protect him in the field than it is to protect him from me?"

"You're trained to do that. This is…different. You're personally involved, emotionally involved."

John looked up, knowing at the moment he couldn't hide anything. "I don't want to screw this up. I've lost him once already and it almost killed us both. I can't do that again."

"Don't worry so much about screwing up. Things are not going to go smoothly all the time, but everything will work out—but only if you are committed to it."

"He's mine." John was a bit surprised to hear how possessive the word came out. "I... I'm trying. I'm doing my best."

Peter chuckled. "I’m glad you got that part of things down pat. But seriously, do you understand what I'm trying to explain to you—about your responsibility in all of this? You're new at some of this, so I'm going to cut you some slack, but when it's just the two of you Rodney only has you to rely on."

"I'm not allowed to pass out until I make sure he's okay. I know. Honestly, some of it really was that I knew you were here. One of the first things I learned about command was that if someone else is in better shape to do it, you let them take over until you get your feet under you again."

"We let the alarm ring for a few minutes, John."

He put his head back on the counter. "I was apparently more tired than I realized."

"Probably."

"There isn't much I can do about that. This time it was my fault—I could have taken a nap. But I can't always stop to sleep."

"You need to be aware of what you can and cannot do, John. I know you want to give Rodney everything—I know that truly and deeply. It's a need, a desire, a push from inside. But, you also have to know when you have to say 'no' or 'wait'. I almost lost Harry at the very beginning because I wasn't paying attention and I don't want you to go through the same thing."

Lifting his head, John was surprised. "You almost lost him? But you guys have been together forever."

"We might not have been."

"What happened?" John paused, suddenly a little embarrassed. "I mean, you don't have to tell me obviously, but—"

Peter sighed. "Car accident. We'd decided to do a day trip, spend some time together. The bar was just getting started and we'd spent all our time trying to get everything just right. We ended up going a little further than we planned, which meant that we were coming home pretty late…very late. We could have stopped for the night, slept a few hours, but I decided to push on, that we'd be more comfortable at home."

"Oh no..."

"He lost part of his spleen."

"How close was it?"

"Too close."

"It wasn't your fault."

"Of course it was. There was no one else on the road. I have no one to blame but myself." Peter glanced down, watched his fingers as he rubbed them together. "Harry's health and safety are my responsibility. I should have known better. I should have stopped. We would have been home at noon instead of at four in the morning. It was a little thing, but it could have cost me the love of my life. It almost did."

John recognized that while Peter was trying to help him, the other man was dealing with something John knew a little about. "You can't second guess yourself. You made a decision, and at the time you thought it was the right one. Peter—I've lost men I've served with, and I've given commands that got people killed. I've almost been killed more than once, and so has Rodney. But at the end of the day, you can't go back and doubt yourself. All you can do is learn from it and try to keep what went wrong in your head, so the next time you can make a better-informed decision."

"And I have. There's precautions I take now—precautions we both take to make sure that nothing happens. I know all about unforeseen occurrences and all that, but I'm trying to emphasize to you that when you wear this ring and put that collar on Rodney, you've made him a promise—one that I damn well hope you intend on following through on."

John nodded, glancing at the closed door. "I am, and I will. I can't promise I'll always be good at it, but I'm learning. It's my job to protect him."

"Yes, it is. Last night though…"

"Last night I shouldn't have let him have the last drink. He was having fun so I didn't want to stop him, but had I known it was a double, I would have. This is all new to both of us, and he doesn't always let me take control when we aren't alone or in the field. This whole being together in public is a grey area we're still navigating through."

"Then you might need to sit down and talk some of this through. I'm just concerned about the two of you. What if this had happened and you were somewhere else? You were exhausted even at the beginning of the evening. What if you had been somewhere else? What if someone could take advantage of the situation? What then?" Peter sighed. "I don't want to panic you or scare you, but where you are right now is probably the most dangerous place you can be."

John shook his head. "In some ways, yes. But only my career is in danger here. I can live with that if I have to, because I won't give Rodney up. If I had been anywhere else, I would have taken one of the stimulants I keep in my wallet, which are strong enough to keep me alert for a few hours—enough to get us home. I don't like taking them, and I don't do it often, but I got into the habit in the field, when you can't ask the nice people shooting at you for a time-out to take a nap."

"But you didn't take anything, do anything. That's my point. You did nothing to stop this from happening and by the time it became a problem, you were in no shape to deal with it."

"I didn't realize it was a problem until after you and Harry were there. I knew he was tipsy, but it was right around then when that last drink was hitting his system. If you hadn't been there, I would have taken the stimulants then, when I realized how tired I was and how difficult Rodney was going to be. But you were there—I don't know if you've ever taken medical-grade stims, but trust me when I tell you it isn't pleasant. I made the decision to trust you rather than take them. Had we been alone, or with anyone else, it would have been a different story." He wondered if Peter realized just how much John trusted him, that he could count on one hand the number of people he trusted to that degree.

Peter sighed. "I know we're just going to keep going round and round with this because I'm looking at this from a very different perspective. Just do me a favor and think about what I've said, what I've told you, and talk to Rodney once he's…awake enough for any of this to make sense to him. That's all I'm asking."

John reached over, putting a hand on his friend's arm. "I do understand. And I will talk to him about it. We've been getting better…since we've been here he's been more willing to let me take control. And I do appreciate this. I...you were right, this is all new to me. I've never felt this way about anyone, and I've never had this need to...to protect them, to claim them. Don't be surprised if you get frustrated emails from me once we're gone."

"Send all the emails you want, but I think some structure would help both of you—for when you're at work and when you're not."

"We do, sort of. We've been together about six months now. It's actually harder, in some ways, here. On base, I'm not just his lover, I'm the CO of the military, and his team leader. I have the right to give him orders, and I expect them to be followed. It's when we're just John and Rodney that we have to figure it out."

"No, John. It's not any different."

John blinked. "You don't think I should change how I treat him with regards to control on or off duty?"

"Based on what I've…gathered from your dynamic—and tell me if I'm wrong—you're the dominant partner in this relationship. Yes or no?"

"Yes."

"And Rodney's agreed to this?"

"Yes. I think he needs it as much as I do."

"So then you have every right to expect him to follow your orders when it comes to your relationship. That doesn't mean that you don't discuss things or you ignore his opinions, but once a decision is made by you it's final."

"Huh. I hadn't thought of it that way. He does seem more...relaxed... when I don't give him room to argue with me. I give him a choice, and I hold him to it."

"It's all about expectations. If you do something he doesn't expect, it probably throws him, makes him uncomfortable, grumpy, less-apt to listen. Am I right?"

"Yes." John drew the word out, thinking. "But where do you draw the line? He really is a genius, and more times than I can count we've needed his ability to think fast. How do I balance between in control and smothering him? I think that's where I've struggled the most."

Peter was silent for a moment. "Are you going to let him make decisions about how to do something in a combat situation?"

"No. There I'm comfortable giving orders to my team, including McKay. But in the science department, in the labs, that's where it gets fuzzy for me. If I know he needs to sleep, do I pull him away and risk what he's working on could blow up in the next few hours, or something else equally hideous will happen?"

"Do you trust him to know his limits?"

"Most of the time, yes. But when he gets involved in something...where do you draw the line? I know as well as he does that what he's doing is important. I worry that he'll let that thrill of discovery override his judgment, and even an order from me won't be enough to stop him."

"Find someone else who you can trust and who can offer you an unbiased opinion—a co-worker, colleague—someone who knows him and the work he does," Peter leaned forward, putting his hand on John's arm. "I'll tell you right now that Rodney won't like it when you stop him from working the first time and maybe even the second or third. But, only do something like this when you absolutely know you have the people and the facts to back you up. Don't do this because you're annoyed he's working late or you think he's working too much. And once he calms down, explain to him why—both professionally and personally—you made the decision."

John nodded slowly. "I think I'm doing that some already, just not to that degree. Beckett—Carson—is our chief medical officer, and one of two people on base who know about us. We both consider him a friend, so I've been going to him for advice when I don't know what to do about Rodney."

"But I'm guessing Carson wouldn't know about Rodney's work."

John gave his friend a wry look. "Other than Rodney, I think the only person who understands half of what he does is his second in command, Radek. And even Zelenka gets left behind half the time."

"Can he give you an unbiased view of what Rodney does?"

"I think so, yes. They bounce ideas off each other, and keep each other in check, most of the time."

"Use him. Use Carson. But make sure that Rodney knows it's because you care about him and worry about him and you want to make sure that he's in the best shape to do his job. And also remember—he can pull this on you, too."

John nodded. "We'll probably have to have that conversation before we head back. I'll wait until we hear one way or another if we actually are going back first though. No sense causing a fight before I have to."

Peter chuckled. "Wise man." He paused for a moment, his eyes sliding to the bedroom for a brief moment. When John turned to look he caught sight of the door closing once again. "Remember this is a partnership in every meaning of the word. You're working together to care for each other and to make sure it works. However, when it comes time for decisions, only one of you can be in charge—and you've already agreed on that aspect. Take his advice. Listen to what he says and how he says things. Don't discount something because you don't like it—he might be right or he might be wrong. Make a decision based on all the facts and on how you think it will affect your relationship. Sometimes you'll agree with him and do things his way. Other times, you might make a decision he's not happy with. Other times, you might make a decision because Rodney is passionate about it, but you don't agree. Stick with your decision—whichever way it goes. You can both deal with the good or bad consequences together."

John nodded again. "Thank you. I'll think about all this, and talk about it with Rodney. I'm okay with him not liking my decisions, but I have to admit, it hurts when I know he's pissed at me. I guess on some level I'm still waiting for him to realize he can do better. But I know he feels the same way about me as I do about him. So I need to get my head out of my ass, eh?"

"Yes, you do. And Harry indicated that Rodney's up. He needs to eat some lunch."

"He is?" John was already standing. "Do you have any toast or anything left from earlier?"

"There's a turkey sandwich for him. He can probably use the protein. It's on the tray along with two Cokes and a fruit plate. Do you want us to wait a bit before we leave to make sure everything's okay?"

John smiled. "It's up to you. If Rodney's up to it, you can stay to visit a bit longer if you want." They walked to the bedroom, John carrying the tray of food.

Rodney was sitting up in bed, leaning against a pile of pillows, the blanket pulled half-way up his chest. He was looking decidedly better than he had been last night, but he still didn't look one-hundred percent. Harry was sitting in a chair he'd pulled up alongside the bed, his arms pausing mid-gesture as they walked in the door.

"Hey. Up to trying some lunch?" John went to the bedside, sliding the tray within Rodney's reach, then climbing up next to him.

"Um…hi."

"Hi." John captured his mouth in a light kiss. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I have a hangover."

"You don't look like death anymore. So that's a plus." John picked up a small piece of fruit and held it up to Rodney's lips. "Try eating for me. I don't want you to get sick."

"Do you know your two friends force-fed me this morning?" he asked as he took a bite of fruit.

Since the two friends were still there—Peter had come up behind Harry and wrapped his arms around him—John just grinned and pulled off a piece of turkey sandwich, pressing it to Rodney's lips. "Yup. They fed me too a little while ago. And they got you lunch."

Rodney took the piece of meat from John's fingers, scowling at him as he chewed. "They held me down and forced food down my throat. I doubt they did that to you."

"I didn't fight them when they said I had to eat. I'm willing to bet you probably did." John continued to feed Rodney small bites of food as they talked.

"I was unconscious and they dragged me from the bed—naked I'll tell you—to force food on me," Rodney grumbled, eating whatever John gave him.

"It sucks to have people who care enough about you to put up with the bitching while they make sure you're okay, huh?" John softened it with a grin, letting his free hand come to rest on Rodney's thigh.

McKay sighed, shifting so he was leaning partially on John, but he didn't comment.

"I'm glad you're feeling better. It hit you fast last night. You went from tipsy to hung-over in sixty seconds flat." The four of them chatted as John continued to feed Rodney. Once the sandwich was gone, John started on the rest of the fruit.

"Okay…enough with the food," Rodney complained, finally pushing John's hand away.

John replaced the food with his lips, brushing them across Rodney's again. "You ate enough that I'm not worried. The fruit was just extra."

"Hmm…good," Rodney said, lightly returning the kiss.

John looked over at Peter and Harry. "Thanks again guys, for taking care of us both last night. What are your plans for the rest of the day, or what's left of it?"

Peter shrugged, glancing at Harry for a moment. "We didn't have anything. We have to open the club tonight, but the manager can do that as well as we can. We were waiting to see how Rodney was doing, making sure things were settled with him."

John nudged Rodney. "How are you doing? Besides the obvious still a bit hung-over part."

McKay took a moment, actually considering his answer. "Okay. Little bit of a headache."

John took his lover's hand and began to massage the pressure point there.

"What are you…" Rodney started, but then sighed happily, letting his eyes close as he leaned back a little more.

"We should probably leave you two alone," Peter said with a smile as he ushered Harry to his feet.

John caught his eye, smiling. "Thanks. Again. Let us know when you guys are free, I'd like to do dinner again, at least, before we leave next week. And I promise, no getting drunk or needing to be dragged back to the room."

"Harry will call," Peter said. "You may want to lock the door behind us."

John wiggled out from where Rodney had half-draped himself across his body. "I'll be right back."

"Not going anywhere," he replied quietly, shifting on the pillow pile, the blanket dropping down to bare a little more of his chest.

John sucked in a breath, fingers twitching a bit as he started to move to run his hands through the swirls of chest hair. He caught himself, and with a sheepish grin to Harry and Peter, he walked them out. "We'll take it easy the rest of the day. I'll make sure he drinks water, and we'll both get showered. If I can get him moving, we might go down to the pool for a bit. Some fresh air would probably help him."

"Take it easy on him," Harry said as they stepped into the hall. "He's a little embarrassed by the whole event."

"I will. He has nothing to be embarrassed about. He was having fun—and I can't really cast any stones when it comes to drinking a little too much at a party. I'll take care of him."

Harry nodded, giving John a quick hug before stepping back. Peter stuck out his hand, waiting for John to grasp it. "I know you'll do a good job of it."

John shook his hand, then stepped in to hug the other man as well. "I'll do my best. And don't be surprised if you get emails."

"I'll keep an eye out for them. Enjoy your vacation. We'll see you again before you go home."

John watched them get on the elevator, giving them one last wave before heading back in, locking the door behind himself. When he got back into the bedroom, he moved the tray out of the way, and stretched out next to Rodney. "Hey."

His lover opened an eye, glancing at John. "They leave?"

"Yup. With lots of advice. I got lectured."

"I got lectured yesterday," Rodney said quietly, sliding down a little and rolling toward John. "Peter have some sage advice?"

John wrapped his arms around his lover, pulling him in close. "He did actually. What about Harry?"

"Hmm. Maybe," Rodney said with a sigh as he curled in towards John's chest, hands resting just above the waist of John's boxers.

John pushed the blankets down a bit so he could run his hands along Rodney's back without interference. "So what are you up for? It's already 1400, so too late to do much, but too early to not do anything. I wouldn't mind going down to the pool for a while."

"I'd rather not add a horrible sun-burn to my experiences in Vegas."

"I was thinking you could sit under an umbrella while I swam. The fresh air would probably make you feel a lot better. You could even nap."

"I didn't bring a bathing suit."

"Me neither. But there are about a million stores here. We can swing in one and pick a few up."

"I smell like sex and alcohol."

"We'll shower first."

Rodney sighed. "You really want to go, don't you?"

John nuzzled Rodney's neck. "I do. I'd like to swim a little, and I really think you'll feel better if we get out of the room for a bit."

"I don't want to nap in the sun. Lobster red is not a good color for me."

"We'll make sure you're shaded. And I'll put sunscreen on your back for you." John sat up, tugging Rodney to sit up with him.

The blanket dropped to puddle in Rodney's lap as he leaned forward, pressing his lips lightly to John's. "Okay."

John smiled into Rodney's lips, deepening the kiss for a moment before pulling back and holding out a hand to Rodney as his lover climbed out of bed behind him. "So, shower, shave, brush our teeth, go buy swim trunks, spend a few hours at the pool, then we'll do something light and casual for dinner."

"I think I can handle that," Rodney said, offering an awkward smile. "I'm sorry about ruining last night."

John stopped, pulling Rodney into his arms, kissing along his jaw. "You didn't ruin anything. I would have preferred not having you get that drunk, but it was as much my fault as yours."

"Your fault?"

"I shouldn't have ordered you the last drink, and I should have been paying closer attention to catch that it was a double."

"Wait a minute," Rodney said, leaning back. "It was a double?"

"Apparently. I didn't know until Peter told me. He saw the receipts for the night, and you were the only one having that particular drink. If I had to guess, that's why you went from amusingly tipsy to hung-over and miserable so fast."

"I can't drink doubles. I get…really, really sick."

"So it wasn't just a fluke. I'll keep that in mind. No doubles for you—ever." John started them towards the bathroom again, getting the water started and stripping out of his boxers, since Rodney was already naked.

"I mean…really sick. Can't move for days on the verge of dying sick."

Raising an eyebrow, John held out a hand to get Rodney to come join him, getting them both into the stall. The hot water felt really good. "Well, you only had one, and I drank part of it—come to think of it, that's probably why I went from awake and alert to zonked out so fast. Damn."

"But why am I not dying?"

"You're complaining about that?" Soaping up a washcloth, John started washing Rodney. He loved this, running his hands all over his lover, taking care of him, knowing what he was doing was going to make Rodney feel good in a completely non-sexual way. Well, non-sexual most of the time. Okay, some of the time.

"But this is not normal," he insisted, not missing a beat as John continued working. "Don't you understand? I should be comatose and barely breathing."

"Well, Harry had you take a few things last night, after you were able to keep Coke down. He said they would help. And he and Gaines have done this before, I think, taken care of drunk friends, so they have it down to a science."

"But my blood sugar usually bottoms out—"

John looked up, his wet eyelashes getting in the way. "Well, you had a big dinner and the snacks at the party. And they woke you up to eat something this morning. I remember telling them you were hypoglycemic, and saying we needed to stop and order toast so you would have something to eat. And then lunch a few minutes ago. So you really haven't gotten off schedule with that."

Rodney was quiet for a minute, eyes fixed somewhere left of John's shoulder. "No one has ever worried about that before."

"Hey," John caught Rodney's face, tilting it so they were looking each other in the eye. "I worry about you all the time."

"I…" Rodney began, the words trailing off. "Love you," he finally said, pressing lips to John's in a sweet and open kiss.

John returned it, putting as much of what he was feeling as he could into it, trying to show Rodney he wasn't just saying the words—he meant them, believed them, they were fast shaping his entire world. When the kiss trailed off, they didn't move far apart, still breathing each other's air. "Love you, too."

Rodney leaned heavily against him, arms wrapped around John. This was so different than their normal shower encounters. Instead of desperately needing release, this was much different, much deeper.

John reached back, shutting off the water so they wouldn't get waterlogged, then he wrapped his arms around Rodney, just holding him.

They stayed like that until John felt the first shiver from his lover, the cold air creeping into the bathroom.

"All right. Let's get dressed and go wander out. I don't suppose I could convince you to go Speedo?"

Rodney's eyes rolled upward. "Whatever you want, John."

"Mmm. Maybe. On second thought, I don't think I want to share that much of you with the rest of the world. Maybe some nice trunks with palm trees." John made quick work of getting them dressed in loose, casual clothes, shaved, teeth brushed, the whole works. They were out the door, hand in hand, in under twenty minutes.

All in all, John decided he was a very, very lucky man.

*** 


	3. Chapter 3

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They ended up wandering through the shops for a while before they found exactly what John was looking for—something horribly bright and with hideous palm trees. Rodney'd insisted on something a little…quieter and after much deliberation John settled for something in navy—complete with it's own hideous palm tree print.

The pool deck up on the fourth floor, however, was nothing like he expected. Nor was the cabana one of the hostesses led them to when they found out who John was.

And here, John had just promised an umbrella.

A mostly-private cabana complete with complimentary snacks and drinks was the perfect way to sit at the pool even if John had told the waitress absolutely no citrus twenty-feet of the cabana and no alcohol.

How could you go wrong with free food and drink and basically a really big bed next to the pool?

John swam for a while, apparently enjoying himself in the almost-empty pool, doing laps back and forth across the longest part.

Rodney watched him for a while, the breeze blowing through the cabana dry and warm. John had been right. He felt better getting out a little, feeling the air on his skin as he watched the people stroll along the poolside, strutting their wares while they watched John—and others—swim and sun themselves.

It was strange, this whole…thing they had. There was really no other way to describe it. A year ago he wouldn't have believed it possible for him to be in anything…any relationship like this. But he was and each day he found himself falling more in love with one Air Force pilot with gravity-defying hair than he thought possible.

And John had been everything he needed, wanted.

Harry had been right. You just knew when it was right, when you could willingly hand yourself over to someone and trust that they would care for it…for you…like the treasure it was.

John was the one, the right one.

He knew that in his gut, in his mind. But now though, it was going to take some effort of his own to get past the years and years of habits he'd developed. He knew he had to let John in, let him get closer, allow him to help him, ground him.

He trusted that John would be able to make him fly—professionally and personally.

But first he needed to break down some of those last barricades, move past some of his comfort zones, and try new things—trusting that John would be there to protect him.

He watched John pull himself from the pool, water dripping down his well-toned body. He rubbed the towel over his head before he started toward the cabana, his eyes continually scanning the area—as if it were some alien planet—until he got close enough that he could see Rodney sitting up, watching him approach.

God. That smile would be the death of him.

"Hey! God, that felt good. Just cool enough to be refreshing without turning my lips blue." John laid across the end of the cabana, where he was still in the sun.

Rodney crawled over to him, sliding next to him and shivering as his wet skin touched his air-warmed and dry skin. "Need to warm up a bit?"

John eyes, which had closed when he stretched out, fluttered open. "Maybe. Whatcha got for me?"

"Just me."

"I'll take it." John shifted so their bodies were pressed together all along their sides, with him in full sun, and Rodney in partial shade.

"If you close the curtain things on the sides we'll have some privacy," Rodney suggested. "I've been told that they don't come knocking when they're closed."

"Oh really?" John's eyes got a definite glint in them, and Rodney recognized the spark of arousal as hazel started to turn to something darker. John sat up, reaching around to pull the curtains, then twisting so he was stretched out down the bed-thing instead of across it. "Come here and keep me warm."

"You may want to get the other sides," Rodney said with a chuckle as he sat up, already moving to the center of the cabana-bed.

"You're going to make me crawl across you to get them?" John grinned, but did just that, securing everything so they had a semi-private pool room. Then he settled himself between Rodney's legs, wet bathing suit already making a damp patch on Rodney's dry one.

"Do you trust me?"

A confused look swept across John's face. "Yes. Absolutely. Where did that come from?"

"Can you sit up for a minute and close your eyes?"

The confused look didn't waver, but John did as he was asked, settling in front of Rodney with his legs crossed, Indian-style, eyes closed. "Like this?"

"Perfect," Rodney said sitting up and placing a quick kiss on John's lips. "Give me two minutes."

"Um, 'kay." John had started to lean towards Rodney, chasing the kiss, but he settled back, wiggling a bit to get more comfortable.

Rodney glanced around, his nerves settling a little when he saw all the curtains were tightly drawn. Taking a breath, he wiggled out of his bathing trunks before crawling across the cabana to where their clothes were left in a pile. Digging out his short-sleeved t-shirt, Rodney left it in a pile next to him as he searched for his pants, finally finding the small tube of lube in his pocket. "Almost ready," he said, pulling the shirt back with him, leaving it next to his side as he arranged himself in front of John—the tube placed carefully between his nipples in the center of his chest.

"Okay. You can open your eyes."

John opened his eyes, the slight grin he had been wearing listening to Rodney dropping away immediately. His eyes went wide, and Rodney heard the sharp intake of his breath, loud in the small space. "Oh... Rodney... Fuck that's..." The muscles in John's throat bobbed as he swallowed. Hard. Several times.

"I know you have a thing for public sex, but this is about as public as I'll go in the middle of thousands of people," Rodney said, his nerves getting the best of him.

"This is...this is perfect. You're perfect." John finally moved, running his hands along the insides of Rodney's thighs. "I got so hard so fast just now, I think I may have sprained something."

"I'm sorry! I just thought—" Rodney said, making a move to get up, but John's hand stopped him.

"Don't move. It wasn't a complaint—just the opposite. Let me admire you. I'm trying to find some self control." John moved, settling on his knees between Rodney's thighs. "You're so beautiful. I just love looking at you. And like this... All spread out for me..." He kissed the base of Rodney's dick, mouthing his way up to the tip, which got a quick swipe of tongue.

Rodney dropped his head back, trying to hold in his moan—unsuccessfully.

Panting a bit himself, John glanced around. "Gag, fuck I know you don't like..." He grabbed the shirt Rodney had left on the cushion beside himself. "I don't know if this is what you had in mind, but let me use this to gag you."

"Thought it might be best," Rodney whispered.

After pressing a fast, dirty kiss to Rodney's lips, John tied the gag in place. Slipping back down to his knees, he set about feasting, licking Rodney's nipples, his dick, tongue-fucking his belly button... The small tube of lube, however, was left precisely where Rodney had placed it. John made sure Rodney was watching before he mouthed it a bit, eyes hot.

Rodney groaned, the majority of the sound absorbed by the shirt, his hands clutching at the cushions. John's touches were driving him crazy, setting him on edge.

Pushing Rodney back a little, John got his knees up—the top of his thighs nearly touching his chest—so he could lick his way down Rodney's erection, mouthing his balls, before that clever tongue worked its way further back, teasing at Rodney's entrance.

Panting as best he could with the gag in place as John played with him, Rodney closed his eyes and moaned, opening his legs a little wider to make sure John had plenty of room.

Pushing his tongue inside, John made started making porn noises, small moans and whimpers, as he opened Rodney up. When he looked up, it was with a look of vague disappointment. "My tongue is tired. I'll have to do that more later. Guess we'll have to switch to these." He wiggled his fingers before finally grabbing the lube, slicking up a single finger and pushing it in slowly.

Rodney whimpered wanting to pushing down, bare down, but holding his legs in place as he was, he had no leverage.

"Just take it. Just close your eyes and feel it, Rodney. Let go. Let me make you feel good."

With a strangled moan, Rodney let his head slump back against the cushions again, his eyes fluttering closed as John continued to work the one finger inside of him, the single digit touching nothing and everything as John slowly coated him.

The finger became two, and John was deliberately missing his prostate as he continued to whisper hoarsely. "So perfect, Rodney. You're so... Love you. God, I love you..."

Rodney's happy, contented noises only encouraged John. The slow and steady pace Sheppard kept up slowly drove McKay insane—but he loved every minute of it, loved the way John made him feel, the way John touched him.

Panting, John finally pulled his fingers away, leaving Rodney temporarily empty. "I need to be inside you. Now. I need..." John kept up a broken commentary as he fumbled with his bathing suit, shoving it down far enough to free his cock, hard and leaking just from touching Rodney. He used the last of the lube in the disposable tube, and managed to find an angle that would let him push inside, encouraging Rodney to wrap his legs around John's back.

God! So full! So good! Rodney moaned, the words lost entirely in the cotton fabric of his shirt. It had only been a day and he had missed this feeling, missed the burn of being stretched to accommodate John, missed having John fill him until he felt like he was going to burst.

With the small space, John was limited in how much he could move. Once he was fully inside Rodney, he picked up a rhythm of half-thrusts, pulling out partially and sliding back in. And finally—finally!—he was tagging the sweet spot every time.

If the gag wasn't in place, Rodney knew he'd be embarrassing both of them. As it was, the moan of sheer pleasure was loud even through the t-shirt gag John had put in place.

John continued the slow pace until Rodney could feel him trembling from the effort. "Come, Rodney. Need you to..."

And before John could even finish, Rodney was spilling between them, his muscles clamping down on John's cock as the man continued to thrust as Rodney's body shuddered.

John's movements got erratic, and a few moments later, Rodney could feel the heat inside as John came, body jerking slightly. He collapsed down on Rodney's chest to ride out the aftershocks. "So good..."

Rodney wrapped his arms around John, pulling him tight against him as he slowly relaxed, his breathing and heartbeat leveling off.

"Best surprise ever." John tilted his head so he could kiss a trail along Rodney's neck.

Moaning quietly, Rodney turned his head so John could get better access, squirming as Sheppard immediately moved in, nipping and kissing along the skin, tonguing his ear.

"Mmm, you make the best noises. When I lick here," a wet tongue slipped behind his ear, "you made a low, deep noise. But when I lick here," John mouthed his way along Rodney's jaw, tongue flicking out to taste along the way, "it gets higher pitched, needy."

And Rodney couldn't help but demonstrate exactly what John meant as he moaned and whimpered as John continued to lick and nip at his skin.

John slowly gentled his attentions, but not before he had made a few small marks across Rodney's shoulder and along the side of his neck. "I need to get us cleaned up and decent again."

Rodney stroked John's back, one of his hands finally settling on his ass as he pulled him closer, not quite ready for John to get up yet.

John tugged the make-shift gag away, brushing his lips across Rodney's.

"God…" Rodney whispered. "You make me so crazy. I can't believe I actually did that."

John's quiet laugh vibrated all through Rodney. "It was one of the hottest things I've ever seen. Feel free to surprise me any time you want."

"If I get this kind of reaction every time I might have to."

John hummed. "Every time. I promise."

Rodney turned his head so his lips would meet John's, moaning into the kiss as John deepened it.

When they broke to breathe, John's expression was—tender. Soft, and full of emotions Rodney had never had directed at him before. It was still a little overwhelming sometimes. John pulled off slowly, grabbing the tee-shirt/gag and wiping them both down as best he could before getting them both more or less dressed again. That done, he pulled Rodney back into his arms, rubbing his nose along Rodney's hair line and making happy, content noises.

"Feel better?"

"I always feel good when I have you close."

"That wasn't my question."

"Mmm. I wasn't the one who was sick, so that should be my line. Feel better?"

"Yes, I am, but I asked you first. You looked a little…weird around the edges before."

John rested his head against Rodney's. "I'm all right. Just a lot to think about. Peter had some words for me this morning before you woke up, and I've been trying to wrap my head around his advice."

"Words?" he tried to shift to see John's face, but the other man was holding him too tightly in place so he had no choice but to relax back against the cushions.

"About my…I guess role in the relationship, for lack of a better term. About my responsibilities to you. He doesn't want to see me hurt you accidentally because I'm not taking it serious enough."

"But I know you wouldn't hurt me," Rodney said, feeling his forehead furrow in confusion.

"No!" John squeezed him tightly. "I wouldn't, ever, hurt you. Not intentionally. But Peter pointed out that by not being fully aware last night, you could have gotten hurt accidentally. I relied on them to get us both back to the hotel in one piece, when I should have been the one taking care of you."

"Is that why they were there? I really don't remember much about last night. But what does it matter in any case? We got back. Nothing happened. I'm fine. You're fine. Isn't that all that matters?"

"But what if you weren't fine? It would have been my fault." John sighed softly, pressing his lips against Rodney's head again. "I'm not going to let it bother me too much, I just need to be more aware, probably take a little better care of myself so I don't get to the point where I need someone else to step in and help if you need me."

"John," Rodney asked, a strange sensation growing in the pit of his stomach, "did something happen last night?"

"No. Nothing happened. But it could have, that was Peter's point."

"Oh." He paused for a long beat before continuing. "Did it have something to do with someone forcing food down my throat this morning? I don't remember much about that whole…event. I think they might have actually found my glucose gel."

"That's part of it, yes. They set the alarm this morning for me, and got you out of bed and fed you, and I apparently never even stirred. Peter was pissed at me for that. I should have at least woken up when they were checking on you, been the one to get you to eat something. I know I told them you were hypoglycemic and would need to eat, but if they hadn't stayed the night..."

Rodney had felt his eyes widening as John spoke, realizing just how bad today may have been. "Oh, god. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I have a stupid condition and I drank too much. I know better. I really do. If I take it easy, I know how to control it, make sure I don't go too far."

"No, Rodney, hey." John squeezed him again. "You have nothing to be sorry about. I should have been paying closer attention. You were having a good time, and I don't want you to feel like you can't relax and let go when you want to. The real problem wasn't that you had too much, that happens to everyone now and then. It was really that I was exhausted and I let you down."

"But I know better! I've been living with this stupid thing my entire life. I know—"

"But now you're mine, and it's my job to know better." John trailed his lips down Rodney jaw again. "I like taking care of you. I just need to be better about it."

"I'm not easy—okay…so I might be easy about some things, but not generally when it comes to dealing with me and my issues."

"Mmmm. I know. But I knew that coming in, and I'm okay with it."

"Which part?"

"All of it. With you, with your issues, with you being easy..." John nibbled lightly on Rodney's ear. "We're partners now. It's my role to take care of you, make sure you're healthy and safe, so you can do your job, be brilliant, be my lover."

"And I have dibs on you, you know."

"I'm all yours, for as long as you'll keep me."

"You know," Rodney said after a few minutes had passed, "they're going to wonder what's going on in here."

"'They will probably assume it's exactly what it was." John grinned, but took the hint and sat up, crawling to the end of the bed and releasing the ties that held the curtains in place, securing them back in their previous open positions.

"That and the fact that I probably have marks all along my neck and shoulders."

"Just making sure everyone knows I have dibs on you." Sheppard stretched back out along the end of the cabana, once more in the sun.

"I think the only thing more obvious would be a tattoo that said 'Property of John Sheppard'."

"Nah, that would be tacky. Not to mention, then I would miss out on all the fun of making marks on you."

"I'm glad you'll draw the line somewhere," Rodney said with a sigh, his eyes drifting out to the pool area once again, catching sight of several girls staring toward their cabana. "Friends of yours?"

Turning his head to look where Rodney was pointing, John humphed. "You know, I've been seeing that group all over since we got here. And that one in the middle looks sort of familiar, but I can't figure out why."

"She was at the airport in Denver," Rodney said after a moment, memories slowly falling into place. "Has the stupidest name, too. Ginger. Who the hell names their kid Ginger? That's like a bad porno flick waiting to happen."

John sat up slowly, horror slowly taking over his expression. "What did you say her name was? And they were on the plane from Denver?"

Rodney raised an eyebrow as he looked at his lover. "Ginger and I don't know. I was in line behind her and this other woman—her mother maybe—when I was getting coffee and they were just about the two more annoying people you could find. Why?"

"Oh fuck. Fuck fuck fuck..." John dropped his head into his hand. "No wonder they're familiar, they're fucking stalking me. Ginger and her mom were my seatmates on the flight from Philly to Denver, and the reason I booked us first-class coming here. Oh fuck..."

"John?" Rodney scooted over, hands immediately going to hold Sheppard's sun-warmed shoulders.

"They know I'm in the Air Force. The stewardess made an announcement on the plane. I spent the rest of the trip fielding questions from everyone in a three-row radius, including come-ons from both Ginger and her mom that were so obvious even I noticed. I don't know who the other girls are, but I've seen them almost everywhere we've been since we got here, now that I'm thinking about it." John leaned into Rodney slightly.

"Okay," Rodney said with a sigh as his mind quickly sped up, running through possible scenarios. "What do you want to do? We can confront them. Ignore them. Or give them a show. I think they're still watching."

John peeked through his fingers, one eyebrow already going up, the corner of his mouth twitching. "A show, hmmm? What did you have in mind? If we have stalkers, we might as well give them something interesting to watch."

"Ah..well…" Rodney started, already feeling his face flush as he eyes slid to the group of girls. They'd moved closer, arranging their chairs so they had a better view of the cabana. "I didn't have anything specific in mind. Just throwing out some options. I figure you might have an idea of what you might want to do. I really don't have anything to lose when it comes to my career and my sexuality. You, on the other hand, have a lot to lose."

"I can always buy a little plane and fly us around the world. Why don't I give them something to watch, then kiss you breathless?"

Rodney leaned down so he could look in John's eyes. "Just nothing that will get us arrested please."

"Mmm, nah, I'll save that for another day. I was thinking more along the lines of this..." John stretched like a cat, falling back onto the cushions and getting into it with his whole body.

Rodney felt his eyes widening as he watched John move, his hands twitching to touch.

Turning over onto his stomach, John stretched again, this time arching into it a little. A small moan slipped out as one of his joints popped.

"Oh…"

Pushing himself up onto his knees, John kept flexing and pulling his muscles, only now his chest—nipple rings flashing a bit in the sunlight, were right there in front of Rodney. "Are they enjoying the show?"

"I…" Rodney started, his gaze taken up entirely by John chest. He glanced up, confusion and desire on his face. "What?"

Laughing quietly, John arched his back again, perky decorated nipples getting even closer to Rodney. "Well, even if the stalker-ladies aren't enjoying it, at least someone is."

Leaning forward, Rodney pressed a kiss to John's closest nipple, pulling back quickly, unsure what exactly John wanted. This was his show and Rodney was simply along for the ride.

John's breath stuttered. "Oh god... Rodney... Okay, I've gone from wanting to show the biddies I'm out of their league to... Touch me. I need to feel you..."

God. That's all Rodney wants to do, but the voice in the back of his head is screaming at him, reminding him of exactly where they are and what this might lead to—and Rodney has no intention of sharing that kind of show with those girls, or anyone else. "You have to tell me what you want, exactly what you want. This is public, John. I can't…don't want to do too much."

"Touch me. I won't be able to hold back how much I enjoy your hands on me, teasing me. We just came, so I can keep control long enough that when I start to get too aroused, I'll stop you and we'll take this into the restroom over on the other side of the pool to finish out of sight."

Rodney moaned, his eyes closing as he tried to pull himself back under control. But his hands reached out, skimming over John's skin before pushing him down against the cushions, his mouth latching onto one of John's nipples.

Moaning softly, John carded a hand through his hair for a moment before leaning back on his elbows, giving Rodney full access to his chest.

As Rodney licked and tongued John's nipple, his hands ran across Sheppard's torso, touching skin wherever he could reach. He knew he was moaning, knew the sounds he was making were needy and desperate, knew that it would only be a matter of time before the hostess walked over and asked them to stop.

John's chest was heaving a bit as he sucked in deep breaths. "Okay, time to move this somewhere less public. Now."

Rodney moaned, refusing to be moved, his hand finally connecting with John's other nipple.

Arching with a gasp, John pushed into Rodney's touches. "Rodney... Oh god... Now, we need to take this somewhere where we won't get arrested now."

Rodney pulled off finally, but moved up to John's mouth, hands clutching at his lover's shoulders as their lips touched. John finally took control, rolling so that Rodney was on the bottom.

John kissed him again, deeply, before pulling off and standing up, his flimsy bathing suit not hiding the fact that he was aroused again. He held a hand out to Rodney. "Private. Now."

Panting, Rodney managed to move to the edge of the cabana bed, his rock hard cock making it hard for him to move as fast as he would have liked. "Suite?"

"We won't make it that far. Restroom." The men's room wasn't all that far, just the other side of the pool. John tugged Rodney in that direction, pushing him inside and following right behind, until Rodney was pushed against the back wall. It was, fortunately, a single-occupant room, and he had heard the click of the lock behind his lover as John moved inside.

"John…" he moaned, the wall at his back and Sheppard plastered along his front.

"I'm going to blow you now, make you come again spectacularly hard while I swallow it all down. And then you're going to jerk me off while you play with my nipples a bit more."

"Can you…oh…" Rodney started only to break off when John shifted, their cloth-covered cocks rubbing together. "…make me wait…upstairs…please."

John groaned. "You really are trying to kill me with your hotness. I can't wait. I need you to touch me now. We don't have any lube left, so jerk me off, touch me, fondle me, make me come, Rodney."

"I can…suck…blow you."

"No. I want those talented lips back here." He ran a finger across one of his own nipples. "Do what you were doing before, out there."

""kay," Rodney said, moaning as John shifted their positions so he had his back against the wall. Moving down, Rodney leaned forward, tilting his head so he was licking at the nipple he'd ignored before, his left hand drifting up to tweak the other nipple, loving the sounds John was making.

Sliding his hand down, he managed to shove John's new trunks down, hearing them hit the ground with a soft thud as he wrapped his hand around John's erection.

Hips thrusting up into Rodney's hands, John wasn't even trying to hold back the noises he was making, ranging from moans to groans to whimpers to a sharp, needy noise when Rodney got a ring between his teeth and tugged lightly.

Rodney lost himself in the feel and the smell of John, only stopping when John's hands were on his shoulders pulling him back and off, tugging him up to his lips in a deep kiss. Only after he let John roll them again, Rodney's back to the wall, did he realize that his hand was covered in John's come.

"I want to taste you. I don't want to wait until we get back up to the suite." John was nuzzling his neck, licking on the opposite side from where he had marked him earlier. "But I also know you aren't comfortable with public sex."

"Toys," Rodney managed to say. "Want you to play."

"Mmmm, I did promise to use the beads on you again, didn't I?"

Rodney nodded, leaning against John, his erection hard and demanding, tenting the front of his bathing suit.

"Are you going to be able to walk like this?"

"Don't know," he whispered into John's skin.

"What can I do to help you talk it down enough to be able to move?"

"I…I don't know."

John brushed a light kiss across his lips. "I'm going to go grab our stuff from the cabana. Try to think un-sexy thoughts for a few minutes, and I'll be back to get you."

Rodney nodded, closing his eyes. A moment later, he heard the door close and he was alone.

Thinking un-sexy thoughts was difficult especially when all he could smell was John: his scent on him, his come. He could still feel the press of skin against skin.

It was a few minutes later, when he heard John's voice—it sounded like he was right outside the door. "…not really. I need to check on my partner, he's..."

God. Nonononono. People were a bad thing.

He couldn't hear what the other person was saying, but from the higher pitch he guessed it was a younger girl. John's response sounded just slightly panicked. "Nono, that's okay. Ah, really...please don't... I'mgoinginherenowbye!" John ducked into the door, locking it behind him and leaning back against the wall.

"John?"

"Ginger just tried to touch my nipples." John shuddered.

"Do we have to go out there?"

"Eventually. But I'll have you with me, and I'm counting on you to protect my virtue." John gave him a half-grin. "I got our stuff, so any time you want to make a dash for the room, we can go."

"Where's an Asgard when you need him?"

"Come on, let's see if we can make it past the gaggle. I owe you an orgasm."

John grabbed hold of his hand, squeezing it for a moment before pulling open the door to the smiling faces of five hormone-filled, teen-aged girls. It was his worst nightmare come true.

But something made him stop.

"Why the hell are you stalking my husband?" is what came out of his mouth.

John raised an eyebrow, making a noise that sounded like a cut-off chuckle.

One of the girls—he was pretty sure it was Ginger—stepped forward, looking at John like he was a piece of candy she wanted to devour. “We aren’t stalking anyone. And it is just so cute that you guys are pretending to be married. Does that help keep the girls who aren’t really persistent away? Mom says persistence is key when winning a handsome man like the Major.” She stepped forward again, one hand reaching out to touch John, who had backed into the wall.

Rodney stepped in front of her, letting go of John's hand. "What part of the phrase 'my husband' did you not understand?"

She waved a hand and tried to step around him. "I bet I can make you make those noises you were pretending to make earlier, Major. I know you had to pretend you liked being touched by your friend to make the pool attendants stop staring at you, but I can make you really pant and moan."

"Do you think I got these hickeys on my own? Take a good long look. I’m sure you know all about hickeys."

John moved behind him, wrapping his arms around Rodney’s waist and nuzzling at the marks. “Sorry ladies, these are mine, and I’m afraid I wasn’t pretending.

"Would you like to hear about all the things he does to make me come really hard?"

All five girls' eyes went wide, then speculative. Ginger, who seemed to be the spokeswoman, was the only one to actually answer. "Yes. Tell us, in detail, what he does to you."

"Have you ever felt a cock up your ass?" Rodney began as John pulled him tighter against him. "He'll use his fingers first, stretching me, coating me with lube so when he's ready he can slide right in."

He felt one of John's hands slide down, cupping his ass as he talked. The girls all got eager, slightly aroused looks on their faces.

"Sometimes he likes to take me fast and hard, leaving bruise marks on my hips because he's holding on so tight as he fucks me," Rodney said, feeling John's hands move again, this time sliding down the back of his bathing suit, a single damp finger sliding into the cleft of his ass.

"Other times," Rodney said, trying to keep his voice hard, frank, but with John teasing him…God it was hard. "Other times, he wants to do it so slow. He'll start with one finger and he'll work it inside of me, touching me everywhere except that one spot that makes me melt."

John pushed lightly against his hole, not pushing in, but enough to let him know there was a finger there.

"Still think we're making this up?"

"Keeping telling us what he does to you." Ginger was starting to sound a little breathless.

The tip of John's finger pushed inside and Rodney couldn't help but moan slightly, as he tried to will down his erection. "Maybe you should ask the Major where he has his hand instead."

The girls’ eyes all went to John, who still had one hand flat against Rodney’s stomach, holding him in place. “Where is your other hand?”

John nuzzled Rodney’s ear. “Doing the things he just described to you.”

Rodney shivered as John's finger pushed in a little deeper, managing to bite back a moan.

John whispered into his ear, words for him alone. "Don't come, Rodney. I'm still going to play with you upstairs."

Ginger and her friends shifted a bit, starting to look a bit glazed. John could turn on a turnip.

"God…" Rodney whispered, unable to hold back.

John pulled his finger out slowly, kissing Rodney's ear at the same time. When both hands were back on Rodney's hips, John looked up at the girls again. "I'm sorry, ladies, but we need to be going. Enjoy the rest of your day."

Rodney let John lead them away, the girls staring after them with disbelieving and intensely aroused expressions on their faces. But right now, all Rodney wanted was John's hands on him.

The walk to the room was all a bit of a blur—Rodney didn't remember how they got there, but suddenly he was being stripped out of his bathing suit, pushed onto his hands and knees in the center of the bed. "Stay there. I need to get the toys we're going to use."

He only nodded, letting his head drop to hand between his hands, his cock hard and leaking as he listened to John as he dug around in their toy drawer.

When John returned, the first thing put on him was a cock ring. "Since you wanted to wait until we got back to come, that means you have to wait until I'm ready to come again."

Rodney whimpered and nodded again, feeling a strange sense of calm slowly crawl over him, his muscles slowly unclenching as John's hands touched his body.

John petted him for a few minutes, running his hands over the muscles in Rodney's back, down along his thighs, up his arms. "Relax for me, Rodney. Just relax and let me take care of you."

"Please, John…" The words were out of his mouth before he could bite them back, needy and begging.

"Please what? Tell me what's on your mind, Rodney. I like hearing you."

He whimpered, closing his eyes. "Want you to play hard…need you to."

An open palm ran all the way up his back, coming to rest on his neck. "Stay exactly how you are, unless I move you. Don't move otherwise. And don't bite back your words or sounds."

Rodney shivered. "Yes, sir."

With a quiet growl, John pulled his hand away. Rodney felt the tip of something probing at his entrance before it was pushed inside—and he closed around it. John was using the beads.

He groaned as John tugged at them, pulling them out before pushing them back in, making sure each thrust was deeper than the next until nearly the entire string was deep inside him.

"Those are going to stay there until I'm ready for you to come. When I pull them out, that's when you can let yourself go." Lips were pressed into each of Rodney's cheeks, and then a tongue was probing at him, licking around the beads.

Rodney shuddered, his arms shaking as the sensation of John's tongue rimming him and plunging into his ass went right to his already erect and straining cock.

John's mouth finally moved on, picking up a meandering path all over Rodney's body. He licked the small of Rodney's back, nipped his ass cheeks, blew softly on the back of his neck. John was never still, and his touches varied from hard and fast to soft and barely there.

He tried to stay still, but every now and then John would hit a spot that make him weak, his arms threatening to buckle on him—a few times he nearly hit the bed before he was able to get back into position.

"Rodney, since you asked to play hard, I want to try something new. I've gagged and blindfolded you, but we've never used a hood—which has the same purpose of complete sensory deprivation, only with one piece instead of several. Since I know you're claustrophobic, I want to use one that will cover your head, but is light weight enough for you to breathe through and pulls off quickly."

Rodney moaned and nodded, the edge of desperation in his tone.

"Lift your head." John slipped the black fabric on, tugging it into place. It completely blocked out his sight and muffled his hearing. John's voice was soft, somewhere near his ear. "Nod your head if you're okay."

It wasn't too tight. He could breathe. John was with him.

"Good…I'm good," he whispered, turning slightly, his cloth-covered cheek resting next to John's.

John's hand ran down his back, grounding him. "Keep still. Remember, you don't get to come until the beads come out."

"Remember," he said, his whisper turning to a moan as John's hand slipped down to play with his balls.

John slowly drove him crazy. This position gave him access to Rodney's entire body, so nothing was left unfondled, untouched. John went from tweaking a nipple to running his nails lightly down Rodney's back, then he was sucking a mark into the back of Rodney's leg.

Rodney whimpered, moaned, growled, groaned, sobbed, and sighed as John tugged him higher and higher.

A hand finally touched the part of him most aching to be touched and yet left alone so far. John started at the base of his dick and slowly pulled his hand downward, ending with his thumb on the head, rubbing small circles in the pre-come.

Keening loudly, Rodney's entire body shuddered, the trembling continuing as he hovered so closely to the edge.

"I'm taking the cock ring off now, Rodney. Don't come."

Rodney sobbed and John paused, his fingers hovering on the leather ring.

"Do you understand, Rodney? Do not come when this comes off. You're going to get release soon, but you need to wait for it."

He whimpered again, but nodded, the few seconds giving him just enough time to get some kind of self-control.

John pulled the ring away, not touching Rodney at all once it was gone. The hood muffled sound enough so he didn't know where his lover was.

Panting through the cloth covering his face, his head dropped down, hanging limply between his arms. Between the teasing and the playing and the orgasm denial, he was flying.

The only warning he got that John was about to let him come was a light tug on the beads. Then they were yanked out, all at once, ripping a scream from him as his body finally got release.

With John's name still on his lips and the orgasm ripping through his body, Rodney felt himself slumping against the bed as he shuddered and moaned, darkness hovering on the edges of his awareness.

He floated for a while, lost in a haze of pleasure. John was gone for a bit, but eventually his hand rubbing circles on Rodney's back pulled him back to the present.

He shifted slightly on the bed, his muscles still not cooperating.

John didn't say anything, just gave a light tug on the hood to give him warning to close his eyes before it was pulled off. When it was gone, a warm body snuggled into his side, the rough fabric of a bathing suit rubbing against his leg.

Rodney sighed, hating the fact that he was in the wet spot—the big wet spot—but too tired and post-coital to care.

"Why the sigh?"

"It's over."

"Only until we decide to play again."

"Hmmm…now?"

John laughed softly. "You can't move yet."

"You did really, really well."

Lips pressed into the back of his neck. "Good to hear. I'm going to need to move you in a minute, though, to change the sheets."

"…just the comf…comforter."

"Okay. You collapsed where you came. If you'll roll a bit I'll strip it off so you'll be more comfortable."

"Noticed."

Sitting up—John tended to not stay still if he hadn't come. The man was up and down a lot. John carefully removed the top layer of bedding, managing to do it without forcing Rodney to move much. When he was done, he curled back into Rodney's side. "Nap now, I think."

"You okay?" Rodney finally asked, turning his head and opening an eye to look at John.

"Go to sleep. We had a long couple of days, so we're behind on our rest. I'm fine." John pushed his face into the spot between Rodney's neck and shoulder.

"You could fuck me if you need to…you know. I can't do anything, but you're welcome to my ass."

He felt John's smile. "I appreciate the offer. I did come twice downstairs though, so I'm good."

Rodney sighed again, nodding. "'kay."

John lifted his head to look at Rodney. His eyes were soft, sleepy. "What was that sigh for?"

"Content…happy sigh."

John traced the curve of his face with a finger before leaning in to brush their lips together. "I set the alarm for an hour and a half from now. Just a quick nap, then we'll figure out what to do about dinner."

Rodney returned the kiss as best he could, his body and mind already switching into the 'off' position. Closing his eyes, he sighed again as John tugged him closer and they slept.

***

As John wandered the shops in the Venetian Hotel, he couldn’t believe the vacation was almost over. Tomorrow was Tuesday, their last full day in Vegas, and the day they were meeting Roger, Sue, Harry, and Peter for dinner.

And, possibly, going to The House. John hadn’t brought it up since they first arrived, but Rodney had been enjoying some much harder play the last few days, and he had been much more open about their relationship in public, not to mention more pliant in general.

It made John smile.

His thoughts stayed on his partner, working up in the hotel room. Rodney had needed to check in, and John hadn’t fought it. Frankly, he was impressed they had gone this long without Rodney’s need to know what was going on kicking in. Sex—a lot of sex—probably had something to do with that.

But Rodney did need to check on a few things, so John had given him two hours of time to himself. Well, mostly. John had tied his ankles to the chair, and put the chest harness on his lover so he could secure him to the back of the chair as well, leaving his arms free to type. He had added a plug to make sure Rodney didn’t forget who he belonged to and to make sure he didn’t get too lost in his work. And, of course, the chastity cage. Rodney had been wearing that when they weren’t having sex since he had tested John by touching himself.

A satisfied smile on his face, John wandered until he was jolted out of his reverie by touch to his arm and a voice in his ear.

"We never finished our conversation the other day."

He started to jerk away, realizing it was Ginger again, but he moved directly into one of her friends—and was that Mom standing over there?—who immediately grabbed his other arm. He didn't want to hurt these girls, but this was getting ridiculous. He was surrounded. "Um, hello. I didn't realize we had anything more to say."

"Where's your wife?"

"My husband is working. He's actually waiting for me, so I should be going."

"Waiting for you?" Ginger asked, her grip tightening on his arm. "I've been waiting all of my life."

John tried to pull away, but the gaggle closed in on him. "Look, ladies, Ginger, I'm flattered at the attention, really. But I'm taken. I'm sure you'll find a nice guy who doesn't already have a significant other if you just give it some time."

"Oh, she's found the guy she wants," Ginger's mother said from the background, hovering just behind her daughter.

Glancing back, John saw mom giving him a hard look. "Ma'am, I'm sorry. I really am taken, and I'm happy in my relationship. Your daughter doesn't even know me, I'm kind of an asshole. She can do a lot better."

Ginger giggled, her hand landing on his nipple. "These rock."

Jerking, John tried once more to get away, and found himself backed into a wall. "I really don't think—"

"You don't have to think," Ginger said, moving so she was directly in front of him, her hands on both of his arms, running up and down.

John shuddered. He really needed to get away from these women. "See, that's one thing we'd never be able to resolve. I'm a thinking kind of guy."

"No. You can't be. You have that…guy following you around all week. I'm a much better partner for you."

"Rodney is my partner, and I'm happy with him. Look, Ginger, I really am flattered. But I'm not the guy for you. I don't want to hurt you, but you need to let me go."

"I don't think so," Ginger said, pressing herself against him, her lips soft and demanding.

John turned his head, breaking the kiss before it could start. "Please. Don't make me make a scene. Just let me go and walk away."

"She's not walking away from you, Major," Ginger's mother said, her voice cold. "You're the best thing that's happened to my girl."

"We met on a plane, and you've stalked me all around Vegas. You don't know anything about me." With an internal sigh, John broke her grasp and reversed their positions, pinning her against the wall briefly. "I'm taken." He let go and turned to leave.

"We have pictures of you, Major."

He stopped. "I'm not going to pretend I don't know what kind of pictures." He turned back to look at them. "But blackmail isn't going to make me change my mind. You can fuck my career if it will make you feel better, but that's not exactly the best way to win suitors."

"Better than you fucking some washed up astrophysicist."

He felt a stab of alarm. How the hell did they know what Rodney did for a living? As far as he knew, they didn't even know his last name. "He's probably saved your life more times than you can ever know."

"Doubtful. He hasn't published in years, which means he's way out of the game, Major," Ginger said, pushing herself away from the wall.

Okay, this was getting creepy. Check that, it was beyond creepy. He had only been joking about the stalking thing... time for a little counter-intelligence. "Look, other than that your first name is Ginger, I don't know who any of you are."

"And that's the way we like it right now," she said stepping closer once again, her hand on his arm. "Why are you making this so difficult?"

He jerked away again. "Maybe because you're trying to blackmail me into fucking you. I'm sorry, I don't find that sort of attention very arousing."

"Blackmail?" Her eyes got wide. She glanced at her mother and the other three friends who were surrounding him. "Did I mention anything about blackmail?"

"Yeah, I think that's what your Mom meant about the pictures. Look, you seem like a sweet kid, but I'm not the guy for you. Go find some nice boy who's a little closer to you in age, and who'll be more than happy to spend the rest of his life with you."

"Hmm. I wonder what your dear wife will say."

Forcing his anger down—that wasn't going to get him anywhere—John stepped out of Ginger's reach again. "I'm leaving now. I hope you ladies have a pleasant rest of your stay."

"Make sure you say hello to Angela."

"Angela? You know what? I don't care. Goodbye." John turned to leave again.

"She went to go talk some sense into your wife."

A cold shiver went down John's spine. Rodney. He took off for the elevators at a dead run.

Harsh, cold laughter followed him all the way to the elevators.

Pushing the buttons repeatedly, John tried to force himself to breathe. When it finally came, he slammed his finger on the button for their floor. If those shrews had in any way hurt Rodney, they were in for a rude fucking surprise. John Sheppard pissed off was not something they wanted to deal with.

There was no one on their floor when he stepped off the elevator and the door to their room was still closed.

Heart beating fast, John opened the door to their room. "Rodney?"

"John? You're back already? I thought I had another fifteen minutes."

Shutting and locking the door behind him, John leaned against the wall, trying to get his heart back in place. "Oh thank God..."

"John?" This time Rodney's voice sounded worried. The desk was around the corner in a little alcove in the room so Rodney couldn't see him, couldn't see the door—another reason John thought it would be okay to leave him for a little while, tucked away. "What's wrong?"

Pushing off the wall, John walked to where Rodney could see him and sat on the edge of the desk. Seeing Rodney was really all right, he just collapsed in on himself. "Fuck, oh fuck, oh thank God you're okay..."

"John?" Rodney reached out, putting his hand on Sheppard's leg. "Why wouldn't I be okay?"

John wrapped his arms around himself—he couldn't stop the shaking. "God, oh God... Rodney... I ran into Ginger and her groupies... They know who you are, knew your name, knew you hadn't published in a while, they have fucking pictures. They're blackmailing me... Oh fuck, they said they had sent someone up here to 'try and talk some sense into you'."

"John? Damn…" he said under his breath as he managed to slide himself closer to Sheppard. "I’m here. I'm fine. No one tried to get in. We're okay. While I might decide to have a break-down later about the fact that they actually took the time to find out who I was after our little show the other day…which is pretty disturbing if you ask me…And how do you know they have pictures? They might be bluffing. They're teenagers. Ankle-biters if you ask me."

"Mom was there. She was the one making the threats, although Ginger was good with the innuendo. I tried to get their last name at least, but they said they didn't want me to know that... They called you a washed up astrophysicist, knew you hadn't published. Fuck, oh fuck. This isn't the end of this. Can you find out who they are? Hack into something? They have to have a computer with the pictures, you can delete them..."

"If I had a starting point, sure, but I have no idea who they are." Rodney's voice was getting higher. "John, can you…untie me please."

John managed to get the ties undone despite his shaking hands. Once Rodney was free, he just sank to the floor, wrapping his arms around his knees. "They threatened you. God, what if I hadn't gotten back here in time. Oh fuck..."

Rodney sat down next to him, pulling him close. "I'm fine."

John leaned into his warmth. "We need to find out who the fuck these women are. Security footage. Can you hack the hotel and find decent images of them? We can start there."

"Can't you alert hotel security?"

"Yes, but that's not going to do us much good in the long run. I have to operate on the assumption they have pictures. And they know both our names and the fact that we're based in Colorado. I don't really want them showing up on our doorstep without a little knowledge of who they are."

"We're in the VIP suite. We should have some kind of privileges. I can find what you want, but it'll take me hours."

John wrapped his arms tighter around Rodney. "Love you. God, I love you. She fucking touched me. Wouldn't let go of my arms, touched my nipples." John realized he was shaking harder as the shock started to really set in. He had never been blackmailed, had his lover threatened, and been more or less sexually assaulted all in one day.

Rodney held him, rocking him, whispering to him, trying to comfort him. He was trying so hard and so awkward about it, that John found it endearingly hilarious.

Taking a few deep breaths, John let the smell and feel of Rodney calm him down. "I need to call hotel security. And I'm calling Peter. He knows almost everyone on the strip. He might be able to get us security feed, and from there the names of these bitches without you having to spend hours hacking."

"I'll hack in if you want, but if they just talked to you I'm sure security has cameras in the shops that can give you the pictures you need. And we're in the VIP suite. They have to be nice to us."

"Hold off on hacking in just yet. Go ahead and pull on a pair of boxers and a t-shirt, in case they need to come up and talk to us. I'm making the calls now." John reluctantly got up, walking into the living area where the phone was.

Hotel security said they would keep an eye out, and would get to work trying to identify who the girls were. Hanging up, John’s next call was to Peter. The man was probably old enough to be his father, but John trusted him, and he did say he knew almost everyone…

The phone rang a few times, and John watched with morbid fascination as his hand continued to shake. He silently thanked whatever Ancients or gods might be listening when it was Gaines who picked up. “Peter?”

"John? How's it going, buddy? Didn't think I'd hear from you before tomorrow."

John sat down hard, aware he was shaking again. "I might have a slight problem and I'm hoping you can help."

"Did something happen to Rodney? John, I thought—"

John quickly explained what had happened, the threats, the blackmail, and the fact that he couldn't exactly call the US Government and ask them to please pick up the crazy women who were blackmailing him since it sorta kinda involved something against regs. "Security is trying to find footage of them so we can try to id them, but they threatened Rodney, and I can't be awake all the time, and they fucking touched me..." John clamped his lips down hard when he realized his voice was getting a bit high-pitched.

"What do you need me to do, John?"

Sheppard heard Rodney pad back into the living room and he turned to look. Dressed in boxers and a t-shirt—the leather cuffs still in place on his wrists and ankles—Rodney had wrapped his arms around his mid-section, some of John's own fear already evident on his face as he finally processed everything John had told him.

"I don't know. I'm a fucking mess right now, and I think Rodney and I are both in shock. I need to focus on him, but I need to find out who these women are.”

"Do you want us to come there?"

"Please." John held out an arm, pulling Rodney in tight against his body. "Neither of us is fit to be on guard, and I don't really know if 'Angela' was just something to scare me or if I need to worry about someone trying to break in. I need to know there's someone on guard so I can take care of Rodney."

"I'll need about thirty minutes. I have to make some calls before I leave here. I can send Harry ahead if you want."

"Thank you." He whispered it, and they hung up. John pulled Rodney to the couch, wrapping his lover in his arms so they were both squeezed into the corner. "Peter and Harry are coming over. I need to know there are people here to help me protect you."

"We can change the flight and go home if you want," Rodney suggested, burrowing in.

"No. I'm not changing our plans because a couple of bitches decided I'm fair game. I refuse to be run out of town by them." John knew he was still running the gamut of emotions, bouncing back and forth between them.

John felt a shiver run through Rodney and he pressed a kiss to the top of his head.

"It'll be okay. We'll find out who they are, we'll wipe the pictures, and then it will just be our word against theirs. Even if they level accusations, with no proof there's nothing anyone will be able to do. And hell, even if I do get discharged on DADT, it doesn't change anything."

"Why us? What did we do to them?"

John leaned his head against Rodney's. "I don't know. They decided on a plane ride that I was the man they wanted Ginger to marry and have babies with. Why the fuck they decided that when I spent the majority of that trip trying to ignore them, and I've told them more than once I'm not interested... But if we can face the Wraith, we can face a pack of vindictive females."

"Maybe. They can be quite scary—especially in a pack."

"I've faced the Taliban, the Wraith, commanding officers who hated me, and God knows what else. I can handle them. They had the advantage of surprise last time. I won't give them that again."

Rodney was quiet for a few minutes and when he finally spoke again, his voice was shaky. "What would have happened if they'd come here when I was working? I…They could have done anything."

John tightened his arms. "I know. That's why I was so fucking panicked when I got here. But if they had hurt you at all, they would have all been very sorry, and I don't care if it would have landed me in fucking prison."

"And what good would having you in prison do for me?" Rodney asked, just as someone knocked on the door.

"If anyone hurts you, I will beat the living shit out of them." John kissed him hard, biting Rodney's bottom lip lightly before soothing it with his tongue. He stood up and went to the door, fingers itching for a gun. "Who is it?"

"John? It's Harry. Peter told me to get my ass over here pronto."

Letting out the breath he had been holding, John unchained the door and opened it enough to let Harry in. As soon as the other man was inside, he re-locked everything and went back to his spot on the couch with Rodney, pulling him close again. "We've had a threat, and I can't take care of Rodney and stand guard at the same time. I called Peter for help."

"A threat?" Harry settled down in the large chair adjacent to the couch, crossing his legs and leaning forward. "Peter didn't tell me anything, so you'll have to excuse my ignorance. And Rodney, have you eaten? You need some sugar or something. You're looking a little pale. Unless it's just that t-shirt. It does nothing for you."

John let the corner of his mouth twitch. He needed the humor. "We ate lunch not long ago, but we're both a little shocky, so it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to eat something. We have snacks in the fridge that I'll grab in a minute." He explained once more what had happened.

"Oh dear," Harry said sitting back, distress on his face. "No wonder you two are all white and drawn. That's just horrible, a girl throwing herself at you. You'd think they'd teach these kids better. Where have manners gone, I ask you? But enough about that. What do you want me to do?"

John let go of some of the tension that had thrummed through him since the incident. "For now just be here. Don't let anyone but Peter in. I refuse to let these bitches ruin our vacation, so I won't cancel our plans for tomorrow, but tonight... I don't want to spend the night awake and jumping at every noise in case it's someone trying to sneak in."

"Okay. I'll have to ask Peter to grab a few things before he comes here. I’m sure Maurice will have no problem with the club tonight. Monday's are quiet. Are you sure you want us staying in the other bedroom?"

"Honestly, I don't know." John realized as the adrenaline wore off he was suddenly exhausted. "I just want to go sleep with Rodney for a little while. Can I make any other decisions after that?"

"Of course. I'll stay out here and make some phone calls. I'll ask Peter to bring an overnight bag just in case."

"Thanks. And I'm sorry we keep pulling you guys out here to take care of us. We usually aren't this needy."

"This is a unique situation," Harry said as he stood, waving his hand in an absent gesture. "Think nothing of it."

With a grateful smile, John pulled Rodney up behind him and into the bedroom. "I just want to hold you for a little while, okay? I need to know you're really okay."

Rodney nodded, strangely quiet, letting John undress him and pull him into bed, dragging the blankets up to cover him. John stripped and followed him in a moment later, wrapping himself around Rodney.

"Hey." John whispered it into Rodney's neck. "What are you thinking?"

"That we are so screwed."

"We'll fix this."

"Maybe. People like that don't threaten and blackmail without some kind of backing."

"Which is why as soon as we actually have a name and a room number, we're going to get the pictures. I'm Special-Ops trained and the security staff likes me. You can hack their computer from a distance and delete anything on the drive, I'll go get the hard copies, and we'll be done with it."

"Maybe."

"It will be fine. Worst-case scenario is they follow through on their threat, send their pictures to a general and get me discharged. I might be retired at the end of this week anyway, so it's not like that possibility isn't something we've started planning for."

"What a way to end a vacation," Rodney said with a sigh, wrapping his arms around John a little tighter."

"Don't let this ruin our vacation. Don't give those women the satisfaction."

Rodney huffed. "You can't just ignore wackos like that."

"Not ignore them, no. But we can also not let them ruin our vacation." John rolled so he was on top of Rodney, pressing him down into the mattress. "I love you, and a couple of freaky females doesn't change that."

Sighing, Rodney wrapped his arms around John, linking his hands behind his back. "Freaky, insane females with motivation and desperation on their side. John, they threatened you—and me. They're not just going to go away."

"They just threatened my career, which has weathered worse. I'm more concerned with keeping you safe. Until we're back in Colorado, I don't want you leaving my side. We've been careless since this is 'home' territory, but until we get this resolved, treat it like an off-world mission with friendly natives—you can relax, but stay alert."

"They were in Colorado, too."

"I know, but they can't get into the Mountain, no matter how determined they are. And leave is up when we get back, so some of the threat will be decreased."

"So, what we get to walk around Vegas—on vacation—hoping that someone doesn't shove a knife in our backs to something?"

"I don't really think we have to worry about that. They didn't make a move until I was alone, so I won't be doing that again—I don't even plan to jog tomorrow morning. Roger and Sue will be getting into town tonight some time, so we'll be with them tomorrow through the evening. And then we leave. Ginger, her Mom, and her groupies aren't going to try anything when there might be witnesses."

"They accosted you in a public area!"

"It was out of the way. They waited until I was in an area with no other people and that had a partial corner to block what they were doing."

"It was still in public." Rodney tried to shift, but John just held in tighter, forcing him into inactivity. He didn't want this to escalate any further. "They touched you, basically assaulted you, and then threatened to blackmail you or at the very least, threatened to do something about me."

"I know." John bit Rodney's shoulder lightly. "And believe me, I'm pissed as hell about it. But I refuse to give them the satisfaction of changing how I live my life."

"John—" Rodney began, complaint in his voice, when there was a knock at the bedroom door."

John tensed up, rolling off Rodney and dropping into a defensive position automatically. "Yes?"

"Peter's here and he needs to talk to you," Harry said through the door.

John relaxed a bit. "Rodney, come out with me. I wasn't kidding when I said I didn't want you out of my sight."

"We're in our own suite," he protested.

"Rodney." John let his tone take on a note of command. "That wasn't a request. I'll back off in a bit, but right now I need you where I can see you."

"Fine," Rodney said with a huff. "Can I at least put clothes on?"

"Yes." As Rodney slid off the bed, John pulled him close, wrapping his arms around him. "I'm not trying to be a pain. I spent a bad few minutes thinking I wouldn't get to you in time and imagining all the things someone could be doing to you. I need to have you close for a while."

Harry knocked at the door again, his voice hesitant. "John?"

"We're coming. Rodney needs to pull on some clothes, and I'm not leaving him alone."

"Fine, fine. Wanted to make sure you heard me and weren't in the middle of anything. We'll be out here and we ordered some food."

"Thanks. We won't be long." John returned his attention to Rodney, tilting his lover's head so he could brush a kiss across his lips. "I love you."

"Love you, too. Clothes?"

With another tender kiss, John pulled away, finding a pair of loose khakis and a button-down shirt for Rodney. He quickly dressed his lover, pressing more kisses into his body wherever he could.

John could feel Rodney relaxing a little under his touches, letting John sit him on the edge of the bed as he pulled on some clothes.

Once Rodney was decent, John linked their fingers and they walked to the door. He put himself in front as he opened it, blocking anyone in the room from seeing Rodney. "Peter? Harry?"

"John…" Rodney whispered, his annoyance clear, but he didn't push.

"Here, John. It's just the two of us," Peter said, stepping into his line of sight, a can of Coke in his hand.

John moved into the room, bringing Rodney with him. He let his gaze sweep the room, confirming only Peter and Harry were present. He pulled Rodney all the way into his arms. "Just stay where I can see you."

"Okay," Rodney replied once John let him go, settling on the corner of the couch after grabbing a half sandwich and a soda. It was on the other side of the room, giving him and Peter a little privacy.

Positioning himself so he could see the door and Rodney, John turned his attention to Peter. "Harry said you needed to ask me a few things?"

"Yes. I need some descriptions of the women in question and also where the incident took place. We'll need that before we can go down to the security office. I've explained the situation as briefly as possible to hotel security, but they will need to hear it directly from you."

John gave him a quick run-down, describing the women as best he could, giving him what little information he had or had guessed. "So those are my stalkers. And since they haven't taken no for an answer yet, I doubt this is over."

"You're probably right, which is why we need to get some answers if we can," Peter said, making several notes on the pad he was carrying. "Did you see any sign that they'd managed to get in the suite or on the floor?"

"No. It didn't even occur to me that they could since we're in the VIP wing until they made the 'Angela' comment. That could have been said to scare me, but I'd rather treat it as a threat and over-compensate than shrug it off and risk Rodney getting hurt."

"Nothing's out of place or missing?"

"Not that I can see. Rodney would have heard if someone came in while he was working. It wouldn't be a bad idea to toss the room though, just to be on the safe side. If you're okay with organizing that with security, I'll take Rodney and Harry out for a walk in a bit while it happens. I don't think I want Rodney to know about it, since he's already having a hard time processing everything."

"It might be better if you do that yourself. You'd know if something was missing or not," Peter said. "I'll need to make another call to confirm with security that we can go down, so you have a few minutes now."

"I want a full sweep—if someone was professional enough to get in here past security, they'll be good enough to put anything they moved back in place. I'm not so concerned with things missing as I am with bugs or surveillance cameras being installed."

"Okay," Peter nodded, resting his hand on John's arm. "I can still have security do that, but I need you to look for yourself. If something is missing, then we know they've been in the room."

Taking a deep breath, John nodded. "Watch Rodney for me while I'm in the bedroom checking? Odds are good if something is missing, it's from there."

"Of course, John," Peter nodded, already picking up his cell phone.

"John?" Rodney asked, looking up as Sheppard walked past him, already moving to get to his feet.

Pausing, John leaned down and rested a hand on the back of Rodney's neck, squeezing a bit to reassure his lover. "Peter needs me to check something in the bedroom. I won't be long, but he's keeping an eye out. He's also calling security to give them a more detailed report."

"Okay," he replied, his gaze shifting to Harry for a moment before he leaned in and pressed a kiss to John's lips. "I'll be fine. Do what you have to do."

John took a second just to breathe in Rodney, taking one more kiss before he moved into the bedroom. He quickly went through all their things, not finding anything out of place until he got to the drawer with the toys.

He checked three times before cursing long and low. “Peter? Can you come here for a minute?”

The large man appeared at the door a moment later, phone pressed to his ear. "I'm on hold. What's up?"

"Tell them someone's been in our fucking room."

Peter's face hardened and he nodded. "What's missing?"

"A plug. Rodney's wearing its mate right now otherwise I would show you. It's the small version of the Swarovski line. I've checked the whole room, and the drawer twice, and its not here. We don't use the small one much, so it shouldn't have been moved out of the drawer at all."

"Okay. We absolutely need a sweep of the room immediately."

John gave a terse nod. "Don't tell Rodney."

"Once I get security on the phone, you'll need to go down and talk to them. I'll stay here and get the room swept."

John was pissed. He really wanted to hit something. "God damnit. Why the hell did these people choose me?"

"I don't know," Peter said, holding up his finger as he walked out of the bedroom, already talking to the security personnel on the other end.

John took a few deep breaths, then went back out into the living area. He sat next to Rodney, pulling his lover tight against his side. "In a few minutes we're going to need to go down and talk to security. Harry, you can come with us, if you don't mind, while Peter stays here to meet some security, who need to see the room."

Rodney's eyebrow rose and John could see his mind already working. "Why do they need to see the room?"

John kissed him, sliding a hand to cup the back of his neck again. "I'll tell you later."

"John."

"Rodney."

"Something's missing isn't it?"

"Let me worry about it." John rubbed his thumb in circles along Rodney's neck.

McKay's face closed down a bit. "This is my life, too, you know," he hissed, finally lowering his volume.

"I know." John put his forehead against Rodney's. "But you're already having a hard time wrapping your head around this, and I don't want our vacation ruined for you. Let me protect you for a little while."

"They took something that was mine, John."

John took a few deep breaths, debating the pros and cons of telling him. Unfortunately, Rodney had already guessed enough that withholding information would only make things worse. "Yes, they took something, which means someone was in our room while we were out. Peter is going to handle having everything dusted for prints and swept while we go down and give a full report to the security team."

He held John's gaze for a moment before nodding. "Okay."

John ran his thumb along Rodney's jaw. "I love you."

"This has turned into a sucky day. Can we just get this over with already?"

"Yes. Did you eat any of the food they brought up?"

"Yes, John," he answered with a roll of his eyes. "Half a sandwich."

"Good. I'll eat the other half, and when Peter gets off the phone, I'll get an update from him and we'll walk down."

Rodney nodded, allowing John to settle him back along his side.

John inhaled the sandwich—he hadn't even realized he'd been hungry—and the three of them talked quietly for a while about mundane things. When Peter finally came back in, off the phone, he didn't look happy. "What's up?"

Peter shook his head. "Security will be here in ten minutes and they want to see you pronto."

John rose, pulling Rodney up with him. "Where are we meeting them?"

"The security office is on the fifth floor. Someone will be waiting for you when you get off the elevator. Harry, I'd like you to stay here."

John raised an eyebrow at Peter in question. He knew John was leery about going out with only him and Rodney right now.

"You'll be meeting with Andrew. He'll take care of you. He'd a friend of mine," Peter said, not elaborating any further.

"All right. We'll meet you back here afterwards. Thank you." Hand in hand, they went to the elevator and found the security office. Stepping inside, John moved to the reception desk—at least he assumed that was what it was. "We're here to see Andrew."

"He didn't meet you?" the receptionist said with a frown. "One moment. Let me page him."

Leaning against the desk, John pulled Rodney closer. "How are you doing? Shock starting to wear off?"

"I'm fine," he replied quickly.

"Rodney."

"John, they were in our room and you just expect—"

"Peter and the security team are making sure they didn't leave anything behind. I'm going to need to touch you later and I think you need to forget for a little while. I just wanted to let you know, so you have something better to think about than desperate women."

"Not likely."

John started to respond, but was interrupted by a truly massive black man striding into the room—and he was armed. John immediately tensed up and moved in front of Rodney.

"John Sheppard?" he asked coming to a stop in front of them, his voice deep and rough.

"Depends on who's asking." Sure it was a cliché, but John wasn't above poaching good lines now and then.

"Andrew Jackson—yes my parents had a horrible sense of humor. Peter Gaines asked me to meet with you."

John relaxed, stepping slightly to the side so he was next to Rodney instead of in front of him. "John Sheppard. And this is my partner Rodney McKay. We're hoping you can help us take care of a slight stalker problem."

"Peter's gone through the basics with me, but I’m going to need to know some details from you about the situation," he said, ushering them into the back of the office, quickly thanking the receptionist for the page. "We also have a few cameras in the area you say the incident took place in, so we might be able to get a clear shot of the persons in question."

Nodding, John let himself and Rodney be settled into guest seats, and he went through the whole thing one more time, complete with descriptions and what he had guessed from observations. "This would be easier if you can find security footage of them somewhere. At least then we have a place to start getting names. I have to admit, knowing these women have done research on Rodney and I when I only have one name and no intel makes me jumpy."

"I can understand your concern," Andrew nodded. "Let's have the tech set up the footage from the first camera and we can go from there. Okay?"

John nodded. The entire time he hadn't released Rodney's hand, holding it tightly in his lap. He still didn't let go as they walked into a room full of television monitors. "Which one should we be looking at?"

Andrew pointed to the large monitor set aside from the bank of screens. "We'll cue it up for you here."

Setting his hip against the desk and pulling Rodney against his other side, they waited for the video. When it started to play, he nodded. "That's the area where I ran into them. It was probably around 1400 or so."

Rodney's eyes were focused on the screen, his arm slipping around John's waist, hand sliding into John's back pocket.

"Good. We have three cameras that cover that general area," Andrew said, nodding to the technician.

They watched for a few minutes before John saw himself wander into the shot, a distracted smile on his face. He leaned in to whisper in Rodney's ear. "I was thinking about you and what you were wearing before I got jumped."

He felt Rodney stiffen, but he didn't take his eyes from the screen.

It didn't take long for the girls to show up. John watched himself be oblivious until he was surrounded, saw the shock and unease on his own features as he tried to get away from them.

"I can't watch this," Rodney finally hissed, moving away.

John let him move to the other side of the room, looking at Andrew. "Do we need to see the whole thing, or is this enough. That's the group."

"No, this is enough. We can get the time codes from this and take a look at the same times on the other cameras as well. Can you just identify the persons in question?"

John pointed to the bitch who at the moment, on the video, was plastering herself to his front. "I know her first name is Ginger, and the older woman off to the side is her mother. Both of them were on the same flight as me from Philly to Denver about two weeks ago, and they were on the same flight as Rodney and I from Denver to Vegas. I'll get you the flight numbers."

Andrew nodded, making notes. "Anyone else?"

John shook his head. "The whole pack, in various configurations, has been popping up all throughout our vacation. We only just made the connection that I had seen two of them before a few days ago. I tried to get names when there were busy trying to molest me, but they didn't give anything up."

"Please point to the ones you recognize."

John thought hard about the encounters, giving the man descriptions of the times and groups as best he could.

Andrew jotted down everything John said, his eyes flicking back and forth between the frozen screen and his pad. "Is there anything else you can think of? Anything that might help us made a positive identification?"

"Well, they claim they have pictures of us. If you find those, you'll have proof they've been following us around. Otherwise, I'll get you that flight information as soon as I get back upstairs and to my computer."

"Give that information to Peter when you get back to your room," Andrew said with a nod to the technician, the large screen going black a moment later. "You'll need to give them about an hour. Are you going to be okay? We can escort you anywhere you'd like."

"Give me a minute to see what Rodney wants to do." John walked over to where his lover was trying to huddle against the wall, wrapping his arms around him and pulling him close. "Hey. It's okay. We're both all right."

"They were in our room."

"Do you want to get another room for the last few nights? Security is sweeping it now and needs an hour to finish, but I'm sure they would let us move."

"I…I don't know," he said with a sigh, finally letting some of his weight fall onto John.

"I say then as long as they don't have a reason to move us, let's just stay where we are. I like that bed," John teased, hoping to lighten the mood. "Look, we have an hour until we can go back upstairs. Andrew said he can give us a guard if we want, and they'll take us where ever we want to go. What do you need?"

"I don't care. Just away from here."

"Ice cream? We can go down to that little cafe that's out of the way."

Rodney pulled back, looking at John in annoyance. "You know I don't need to eat every hour on the hour, right?"

John grinned a little. "Actually, I kinda want some. You don't have to eat any if you're not hungry."

"I'm not hungry," Rodney said, his voice taking on a stubborn lilt. John would do something about that later, much later.

For now, however, he needed to find a way to head off the nervous tension building in his lover. And sex and food were off the list—John sighed to himself. "I'm pretty good at figuring out what you need most of the time, but I can't read your mind, Rodney. I need you tell me where you'll feel comfortable going for a little while."

"Somewhere we don't have to worry about anything."

John glanced back at Andrew, who was studiously not looking their direction. "Hey, do you have a quiet, private lounge or something where we can go wait?"

"Of course. What do you need?"

"Just some place quiet with a couch. I don't think we're up to braving the masses and you said our room is out of bounds for a bit longer."

Andrew nodded. "I can put you in one of the guest rooms if you want. It won't be as elaborate as your suite, but it will be private."

"That will be fine. And when our room is ready, can you have someone let us know?" John let his arms fall from where they had still been around Rodney's waist, catching the scientist's hand to keep them linked together.

"I'll come and get you myself," Andrew said, gesturing for them to walk out ahead of them. He paused at the reception desk, pulling out two key cards and quickly activating them after checking the computer. "I'm going to put you in a room on the tenth floor. It's the best we have right now."

"It will be fine I'm sure. Thanks." John pocketed the keys and shook Andrew's hand. "We appreciate the help."

It didn’t take them long to find the room, a standard suite, with two beds in one room, and a small kitchen and couch in the other.

John gently pushed Rodney onto one of the beds, crawling on top of him, pressing their bodies together as much as possible. Running his fingers up his lover’s chest, he realized Rodney was still wearing the harness and cuffs—and the plug. “Do you need me to take any of this off?”

"No," Rodney said, shaking his head.

"Good." John sat up so he was straddling Rodney, slowly unbuttoning his shirt and pushing the halves aside. He traced the lines of the harness with both hands until he reached nipples. Rubbing both of them with his thumbs, John tried to get Rodney to relax.

"How can you be so…laid back about this whole thing?"

"I'm not. I'm angry that someone who doesn't even know me has decided they want me no matter what, and it doesn't matter that I'm not interested. I'm afraid I can't protect you. I'm worried about you, about how much this is affecting you. But I'm not in charge here, and I don't have access to the resources I would need to fix the problem myself. I've called in people who do have those resources, and I have to trust they'll get the job done."

"So, what, sex is your fall-back position?"

Shaking his head, John lowered himself so he was plastered to Rodney again. Kissing along his neck, he sighed. "No. But since I can't fix the bigger problem right now, I'm focused on you. I can feel how tense you are, and I know you're as scared and angry and worried as I am. I want to get you to relax a little. And I wasn't kidding when I said before that I needed to see you, touch you, to make sure you're really okay."

"I'm fine."

"No you aren't, not any more than I am."

Rodney let out a long breath, turning his head to the side. "I just can't believe this is happening."

John took the head tilt as an invitation, nuzzling further into the pale curve of neck he was so addicted to. "I know. But it doesn't change anything."

"What do you mean it doesn't change anything?" Rodney asked, turning his head sharply, nearly smacking into John's forehead with his chin.

John managed to jerk his head out of the way in time to avoid concussion. "It doesn't. I'm yours, and you're mine. End of story. The bitches can do whatever they want, but at the end of the day, it doesn't change how we feel about each other or our relationship."

"No, it doesn't. But it also means that we're watching our backs at every turn."

"We're always watching our backs—it's what we do for a living. Granted, I was enjoying the illusion of security here, but Earth is just another planet, with the same problems every other planet has. I don't really care about the rest of the universe though. I just want to keep you safe." Tipping Rodney's face, John licked his way into his lover's mouth.

Rodney returned the kiss, more perfunctorily than anything.

With another sigh, John resettled his face in the crook of Rodney's neck. "I can't change it. I didn't do anything to make them think I had any interest in them."

"I know."

"I'm yours. I belong to you, as much as you belong to me."

Rodney sighed. "I know. We've been through this before."

"So stop fighting me. We're in this together, but you're trying to push me away."

"I'm just not in the mood, okay?"

"Which is fine, but don't push me away. Don't close yourself off."

"What do you want me to do, John? I'm upset. I'm a little disturbed—okay, make that very disturbed—that someone broke into our hotel suite and stole something private. They threatened you and me and we have no information about anything. How do you expect me to feel? Overjoyed? Ecstatic? Horny? What exactly?"

"I want you to stop shutting yourself off from me. I'm just as upset as you are, okay? I'd like nothing better than to go hurt someone right now. But I can't, so I'm dealing with it as best I can. We can't make any decisions until we have more information, so letting our brains run in little circles isn't going to accomplish anything."

Rodney huffed, rolling his eyes.

Letting his body go heavy, John shifted so he was curled as close to Rodney as he could get. "I want to forget for a little while."

"Not likely."

He couldn't stop the slow shudder that ran through him. "I want to forget that she touched me. I don't want anyone but you touching me like that."

"John, you can't get closer to me without crawling inside."

"That's for later."

John could feel Rodney's eyes roll as the other man sighed. It took another moment, but Rodney finally wrapped his arms around John, holding him.

With a small whimper, some of the tension still making his body tight drained away. John nuzzled into Rodney's neck again, just breathing him in.

"You never see it coming, do you?" The question was whispered, resigned.

"I don't look for it."

"I know. It always just manages to find you."

"I'm sorry." John tightened his hold on Rodney, pressing down harder into him, wanting to be closer.

Rodney sighed again, tilting his head a little so John could tuck in closer to him. They stayed pressed close like that until there was a knock on the door, some forty minutes later.

Sitting up, all of John's soldier instincts kicked right back in. "Yes?"

"Watch where you put your knees, Sheppard," Rodney hissed, making John miss the reply from the other side of the door.

John reached down to caress the limb Rodney was worried about. "I'm not going to let anything happen to it." He turned his head back towards the door. "I'm sorry I didn't catch who you said you were."

"It's Andrew Jackson."

Closing his eyes briefly, John was grateful—maybe this bizarre day was almost over. Quickly buttoning Rodney's shirt back up, he slid off the bed and held out a hand. "Ready to go reclaim our room?"

Rodney shook his head, letting John pull him upright as he shrugged.

They went to the door, opening it to find the large man waiting for them. "Any updates?"

"Room's clean. We checked everywhere. And we're still matching up pictures with the guests."

Thank God. John wasn't sure what they would have done if there had actually been a bug or camera. "Thanks. We okay to go back upstairs?"

Andrew nodded, walking with them to the elevator bank. "Yes. Peter and Harry are waiting for you. We'll continue to try and find the women, but I’m not sure how successful we'll be. We get thousands of people who come through the casino every day, but we'll do out best to help."

"You don't think they're guests here?"

"We're still going through our current list of registered guests."

As all three of them stepped on the elevator, John squeezed Rodney's hand. "Keep us posted."

"I have every intention of doing just that," Andrew nodded. "We can have you moved if you'd be more comfortable. There's really no other suite that matches the one you're currently in, but we can upgrade you for the next two nights."

John looked over at Rodney. "I'm okay with staying, but if you're not we can move."

Rodney shrugged non-committedly and John held back a sigh.

"We'll stay. It's only a few more nights, and the room is clean. I'm assuming you changed our locks and Peter and Harry have the new keys?"

"We can't change the locks on such short notice," Andrew said after a moment.

John never thought he would find himself missing military efficiency for anything. "Understandable," he sighed.

The rode the rest of the way in silence, Harry meeting them at the door. "Oh good, it's about time you decided to come back."

"Just waiting for the all-clear. Thanks, Andrew. I'm sure we'll see you again soon." John pulled Rodney into the room, dropping into one of the stools at the kitchen bar. "Okay, this officially goes down as a crappy way to end a vacation."

Harry nodded, huffing a little. "And things had been going so well."

Quirking his lips up as he watched Rodney wander the room, John shrugged. "It still is. It's been a great vacation. This is just irritating. If the room was clean, that suggests it wasn't a professional trying to get in—and that makes me think 'Angela' was probably just a fiction to hurt me since I wasn't playing their game."

"Perhaps," Peter said, stepping out of the smaller secondary bedroom. "Andrew able to find anything?"

"Not yet. We found footage of them trying to molest me, so he has clear shots of their faces. He's still trying to put full names with the faces though."

"Good. If anyone can find someone Andrew can. I asked him to check the cameras outside our room as well."

John raised an eyebrow at the 'our'. Another knot of tension unwound from where it had lodged in his spine. "So you guys are staying the night?"

"We'll be here unless you kick us out."

John shook his head. "Not kicking you out. I'll feel better knowing there are other people around until we figure out how they got in." He leaned back as Rodney came up behind him.

"If it's okay I'm going to take a nap," he said quietly.

Reaching back, John pulled Rodney forward so his arms were around his waist. Leaning back, he looked up to catch deep blue eyes with his own. "Mind company?"

"You're busy. I'll be fine. I do know how to nap on my own."

John recognized the tone—Rodney needed some time. Reaching up, he pulled his lover down for a quick kiss. "I'll probably come lie down in a bit with you. It's been a long day. But I won't wake you up if I do."

"Fine." His eyes slid to Peter and Harry and he nodded once, sharply, before disappearing into the bedroom, closing the door behind him.

Swallowing hard, John put his head on his arms on the counter. Without Rodney in the room, he felt like he deserved a little time to deal with his own queasiness about the situation.

"He'll be fine, John. Give him a little bit. He's worried and scared," Peter said, a hand resting on John's shoulder.

"I know. That's why I let him go. He needs some space to think everything through from every angle."

"Harry? Give us a minute?"

John moaned internally. He didn't think he could take another lecture, and he prayed that wasn't what Peter had in mind as Harry nodded and slipped into the other bedroom. John knew Rodney was the only reason he had kept his head about everything, and he didn't think he could handle any more, not right now.

"Breathe, John. You're doing fine. I just thought you could do without an audience."

As Peter's grip tightened on his shoulder, offering comfort, John felt himself start to shake again. "Fuck. This is so fucked up."

"Yes, it is." Peter's voice was level, quiet.

"Why me? What is it about me that has them so convinced I'm the one they need to marry and settle down with? Especially when I've graphically demonstrated that I'm not interested?"

"They have an ideal in their head that they can't get rid of. And you have to admit, you're quite the catch." John could hear the smile in Peter's voice.

Looking up, John raised an eyebrow? "A catch? Not really. I'm just a pilot in the Air Force—and a barely successful one at that. I'm only where I am now because of a series of accidents and lucky breaks."

"Trust me, John. You're a catch."

The corners of his mouth twitched. "Rodney says more or less the same thing whenever it comes up. But I want him to find me attractive. Everyone else, not so much."

"You should listen to him. He is right." Peter patted him on the back. "Relax for a bit. Give Rodney some space. We'll be here for as long as you need."

"I think I'll see what food we still have in here since it doesn't seem like we're having a dinner of any sort. It's weird, I hadn't cooked in years, but now I feel the urge to beat food. You don't suppose that's pent up aggression, do you?" John gave his friend a lopsided smile.

"Perhaps. I'd hate to hear what a shrink would have to say about it."

"Nah, shrinks are easy to fool once you know what they want to hear." Getting up, John started poking through the cabinets, going through the odds and ends they had collected since they got there.

A door opened and Peter glanced over toward the second bedroom, gesturing for Harry to come out. "I’m guessing you're good at it, too."

"Cooking?" John was distracted, wondering if he could actually put a meal together with the odds and ends.

"Fooling the shrinks. And what do you need? Harry or I can run out if you need something."

Looking up, John shook his head. "We really don't have anything here that goes together. It would be easier just to order room service. And I tell the shrinks what they need to hear to clear me to fly." And just like that, it hit him that he hadn't been in a cockpit for weeks. The urge to be free, to be in the air came on so strong it almost took his breath away for a moment, before it released him again. Shaking himself, he tried to get himself back online.

Peter's cell phone picked that moment to ring and Gaines excused himself to take the call.

With another small shake of his head, John pushed everything down—he couldn't do anything about the current situation, and he couldn't fly right now, so no sense letting it get to him. Instead, he grabbed the room service menu and went to sit beside Harry at the counter. "So what sounds good?"

"This hotel has so many fantastic restaurants," Harry said with a sigh, tilting the menu so he could see it better. "There are just so many things to choose from."

They decided on surf and turf, ordering enough for everyone to be able to pick and choose what they wanted. By the time they were done, Peter wandered back in. "Everything okay?"

Peter nodded. "Seems a woman was spotted slipping into your room while the maid was down the hall getting sheets."

John slumped into the seat. "Supporting the theory that Ginger and her friends are opportunists and not career criminals."

"Yeah. And they're still looking for names to match the faces. No luck so far."

"That's at least something. It explains how they got in, and why they just took one thing. I'm going to go see if Rodney's awake and let him know. This makes me feel a lot better."

"Thought it might," Peter said, nodding.

With a smile, John slipped into the bedroom, climbing onto the bed next to his lover. He kept his movements careful and his voice low, not wanting to wake Rodney if he was asleep. "Hey. You awake?"

Rodney sniffed, but didn't answer.

Since Rodney was on his back, John rested a hand in the middle of his chest and just let himself look. His chest ached a little with emotion, all directed at one irritable, brilliant, sexy astrophysicist.

He huffed again, his forehead drawn and furrowed even in sleep.

With his free hand, John gently smoothed the wrinkles, murmuring soft words of comfort. He shifted around and carefully fit his body against Rodney's knowing his friends would understand if he didn't come right back out.

Rodney shifted again, curling in toward John, hand sliding along his hip.

Between one moment and the next, without meaning to, John sipped into his own nap, comfortable and safe and happy with the one man he couldn't live without.

***

Steak woke him.

Not the actual meat product, but the smell of it.

Shifting on the bed, Rodney found himself surrounded by one John Sheppard—arms wrapped around him, leg shoved between his own.

When did that happen?

He shifted in John's arms, the other man stirring immediately.

"Ron'ney?" John always slurred his name if he tried to talk before he was fully awake.

"Yeah. What time is it?" With John on top of him he had no way to actually see the clock.

John sat up slightly, blinking. "I smell steak. And fish. Dinner must be here."

Turning his head, Rodney was finally able to spot the clock—a little after seven. He'd slept for a little over an hour—after spending too much time letting his mind spin in smaller and smaller circles.

"Oh! When I came in here it was to tell you we had some news. They found security footage showing a girl—probably Ginger—slipping in the room while the maid ran down the hall for sheets, then coming out again before she got back. So we don't have a super-agent on our hands, just an opportunist with sticky fingers."

"Great. Burglarized by a porno star and her mom." Rodney rolled his eyes, but felt something unclench inside.

"I know. But honestly, I'm a lot happier knowing that. They didn't actually break in or hack the doors or anything, they just happened to walk by when the maid was down the hall and couldn't resist taking a look."

"And walk off with a souvenir."

"Which makes sense. They took the other crystal plug, the one we don't use much because it's smaller. Of everything, it looks like the most valuable."

Rodney felt his eyes widening. "Like the one you currently have in my ass?"

"The other one. The smaller one. We've only ever used that one once." John's hand came to rest on his chest, spreading warmth.

"But they matched. They were a set. A pair…an uneven pair, but a pair nonetheless."

John's gave him a startled smile. "I'll replace it for you before we leave."

Rodney paused a beat before nodding. "Okay."

John closed the distance between them, giving him a deep kiss before both of their stomachs growled, breaking it up. John's lips curved against his. "I think maybe we should go eat."

"When did you order dinner?" Rodney asked as John pulled him upright, tugging him into the other room where the smell was much stronger and Peter and Harry were sitting at the table eating.

"Harry and I ordered before I came in to check on you and fell asleep. So I'm guessing it hasn't been here long. Smells good, did we miss anything?" They sat next to each other at the table, and John looked over at Peter as he started serving them both.

"Nothing that you wanted to see," Peter said with a half-smile, his eyes drifting to Harry.

Grinning, John recalled that the second bedroom had a similar set-up to theirs. "Taking advantage of the furniture?"

"You did invite us to stay. Hate to pass up that kind of an offer," Harry commented, a broad smile on his face.

Chuckling, John started on his dinner. "Glad we could be of service."

"There's no lemon, right?" Rodney asked, a forkful of fish heading for his mouth.

"Nope. I specifically told them not to let citrus anywhere near the food, as we had someone with an allergy." John's hand landed warm on his thigh under the table.

"'kay," Rodney nodded, the fish melting in his mouth. "Wow…" he said around the mouthful, humming enthusiastically, "this is great."

John watched him eat for a moment, eyes wide, before shifting in his chair and going back to his meal. Peter and Harry both chuckled. "So Rodney, did John tell you we had a bit of good news?" Harry tilted his head slightly as he ate and talked.

"That the porn star, apart from feeling him up, has sticky fingers and good timing? Yes, he did." He shoved another forkful of fish in, chasing it with some baked potato.

Peter choked a bit on his steak. "Porn star?"

"Who else names their child 'Ginger'?" Rodney asked, pinning Peter with a look he usually reserved for his staff.

John was silently shaking with laughter next to him. "Congratulations, Peter, you just got demoted to 'stupid minion'."

"I can see that," Peter said as Rodney turned to John.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" This time, even he could hear the 'you idiot' at the end of the sentence.

John grinned at him. "You manage to convey whole volumes of sarcasm without saying a word. It's a skill I admire in you."

Rodney snorted, shaking his head as he moved back to his food. "It's not my fault I'm saddled with idiots."

"Coulda been MENSA..." John sing-songed the words.

This time Rodney did drop his fork as he turned to John, pointing his finger at him. "And you're a perfect example. You have brain cells, but you don't use them! What's the point of that? And half the time you don't even bother to rub two of them together in an effort to actually think about something before rushing in headlong—"

"Are we having this discussion again? I have to risk my life sometimes. It's part of what I do for a living, and necessary to protect you and everyone else." John slumped in his chair a little, looking tired all of a sudden.

Rodney snapped his mouth shut, turning back to his food. He spoke again a few beats later, his voice much quieter. "No, we're not having that conversation because it will end up with me storming out of the suite."

John's hand returned to his thigh. "I did agree to avoid trouble when I can, and I plan to stick to that. If you can find a way to get us out of situations without me risking my life, I'll gladly take them."

"I know and look we have guests."

John's hand squeezed gently. "You could go back to making sex faces while you eat. I was enjoying that."

"Mature, Sheppard. Very mature," Rodney grumbled, going back to eating his dinner, letting the conversation swirl around him. He knew he was on the edge and having people in the suite was not helping. He wanted John—only John—but he wasn't going to kick out the very people who were helping them.

As they finished, John stretched, standing and holding out a hand to Rodney. "After the day it's been, I think Rodney and I need a good night's sleep. The nap just emphasized how tired we both are. You guys can entertain yourselves for the evening, right?"

"Actually," Peter said, glancing at Harry, "if you don't need us to stand guard, we'll be heading home."

Rodney caught John's glance in his direction, then a quick nod. "Since we know we don't have to worry about someone sneaking in over the rooftops or anything, that's fine. I appreciate you both coming out to bail us out again."

"Not a problem," Peter said, pushing back from the chair. "Let's get these dishes out of here and in the hall and we'll be on our way."

John helped them clear everything, and it seemed like no time at all before they were gone. "Just us again. Want to go lie down?"

"I’m not tired now, but I'd like to feel you," Rodney said after a minute. He knew he was tense, wound up. He needed to come down before there was going to be any good sleep tonight.

John moved into his personal space, fingers working at Rodney's buttons. "You need to relax."

Rodney snorted. "Somehow I doubt that's happening anytime soon, not with those…biddies out there."

John pushed the halves of his shirt aside, but didn't take it off. "I don't want you thinking about them. Just me."

"Easier said than done, I'm afraid," Rodney said, leaning in toward John, his hands resting on his partner's hips.

"I know. But trust me. Let go and let me take care of you." John unbuttoned his pants, pushing them open, but again not taking them off yet.

"I hate to say this, but I’m really not in the mood for sex."

"That's not what we're doing right now. I want to feel you, but at the moment that's as far as it's going. You're too caught up in worrying—I want to bring you down, help you relax."

Rodney took a breath, letting it out slowly, finally nodding. "Shouldn't this be the other way around though? You were the one they…assaulted."

"I'm as wound up as you are, yes. But this helps me as much as it does you." John ran his hands up Rodney's arms, pushing the shirt so it was hanging from his forearms. "I love looking at you, touching you. It's relaxing."

"I want you to forget for a little while, if you can. You need it more than I do. What can I do?"

John's fingers were restless, ghosting over his skin. "I want to hold you. Get undressed and come sit with me on the couch."

"You were doing a good job of it," Rodney said quietly as John's fingers continued to stroke his arms.

The corner of John's mouth turned up. "I was, wasn't I?" He dropped gracefully to his knees, pulling Rodney's shoes off, then stripping him the rest of the way. His movements were slow, and every patch of skin that was revealed as another layer of fabric disappeared was caressed with the same feather-light touches John had used on his arms.

Rodney just stood and watched as John touched his body, running his hands and fingers carefully, reverently over his skin.

Folding everything and setting it on a chair, John unbuttoned his own shirt, but left it on. "Come sit with me for a while. I just want to watch mindless television and touch you."

"Mindless television?" Rodney asked, taking the hand John offered. He glanced down to where their hands were joined, John's tanned one next to his pale one, the black of his leather wrist cuff a sharp contrast to his light skin.

"All television is more or less mindless, isn't it?" John sat in the corner, spreading his legs with one across the back of the couch so Rodney could settle between them, chest to back. John's other leg came up to wrap around him as soon as he was settled. Flipping channels for a few minutes, he finally stopped on an old 80s movie.

"You expect me to relax to this nonsense?" he asked as Michael J. Fox ambled onto the screen.

"I could always put on Food Network again." John's hands had started moving again, aimlessly stroking and touching him.

Rodney rolled his eyes, his hands waving. "That's just as bad. Put on Discovery or something. At least I can berate the idiots on there."

He felt John's soft laugh, but his lover did change it to the Discovery Channel, which was playing a MythBusters marathon.

It didn't take long before Rodney was grumbling and yelling at the plasma television screen, leaning forward in disbelief at the narrator as he explained to the apparently five-year-old demographic audience they seemed to be talking down to what was really the truth.

John's hands eventually stopped moving, and when Rodney glanced back, he saw Sheppard had his eyes closed, a soft smile curving his lips.

Asleep. Sheppard was asleep. The nerve of him. Rodney huffed, climbing off the couch and prowling around the room before he decided to head to his laptop.

As he started to head out of the room, he heard a low, pathetic whine from the couch.

Rodney paused and when it wasn't repeated, he shook his head, moving into the small alcove he'd been working in earlier.

He worked for a good half-hour before another noise caught his attention. It was his name, being whispered over and over, with an edge of desperation to it.

Saving his document automatically as he rose, Rodney padded back over to the couch. John was curled on his side, knees pulled up, face scrunched together in pain and anguish. "John?" he asked quietly, kneeling down next to the couch, reaching out to lay his hand on Sheppard's arm.

John's breath was coming harshly, and Rodney could see his eyes flickering behind tightly closed lids.

When his first touch didn't wake him, Rodney squeezed John's arm with his hand, shaking him a little. "Come on, Sheppard, snap out of it."

John jerked, moaning. "Rodney... No, God no..."

McKay moved again, hovering over John a little as he tried to break into his dream. "Sheppard! Come on."

With a scream that sounded torn from his throat, John lunged forward, tangling in Rodney and bringing them both crashing to the floor. He struggled, cursing for a moment before his body went limp.

McKay felt the back of his head hit the floor, hard, John's hand still around his throat. He struggled to crawl out from under the other man, muttering in a half-panic. "John…God…come on," he begged, not managing to get himself free, pinned as he was between the table and the couch with the entirety of John Sheppard on top of him.

With a shudder, John opened his eyes, and for a moment he looked completely lost. It took him a few heartbeats to recognize Rodney. With a gasp he let go, scooting back until he hit the couch. "Rodney?"

"Please tell me you're here this time."

"It was a dream?"

"Which part? You attacking me certainly wasn't," Rodney said, sitting up slowly, a hand rubbing the back of his head where it had hit the floor.

John started to shake, almost violently. "You were dead. I watched you die."

"Not dead. Bruised and battered, but not dead."

"So real. God, it was so real. I watched them. They held me down while the Wraith drained you. I had to watch and they were laughing..."

Rodney scooted forward slowly. "I'm here, John."

John wrapped his arms around himself and continued to shake, although his hazel eyes finally came up enough to look at Rodney. "Did I hurt you?"

"I have a hard head."

"I'm sorry. I had to fight, I had to... I can still feel their hands on me, holding me down, forcing me to watch you die..."

Rodney moved so he was next to John and carefully, slowly put his hand on the man's arm. "I’m here. Nothing happened."

John let his body fall sideways, into Rodney, burying his head in Rodney's shoulder. "I love you. God, I love you, and I couldn't save you. They threatened you, and laughed when I tried to rescue you. It was so real... I'll be okay in a minute, just let me, let me hold you..."

"And long as you don't try to strangle me again, I’m not going anywhere."

John looked up stricken. "Oh god, I did hurt you didn't I? I'm so sorry—"

"I'm fine. I may bruise easily, but I'll most definitely live," Rodney said, wrapping his arms around the other man.

John's trembling eventually faded, although he was doing his best to climb into Rodney again, pressing them together as much as he could, considering they were sitting on the floor.

"Better?"

"The Queen mocking me was Ginger."

"So they remind you of porn stars, too? All their leather. I wonder where they get leather in Pegasus. I've never seen any animals that even come close to matching ours here."

John's laugh came close to hysterical, but he calmed down pretty fast, looking up to capture Rodney's mouth in a deep, desperate kiss. "Have I mentioned I love you lately?"

"A few minutes ago, actually. You sure you didn't hit your head on the table on the way down? I came really close to it but managed to move enough to miss it."

"I didn't hit anything." John was touching him again, the same almost hesitant caresses he had used earlier. "What were you doing while I was having terrifying nightmares?"

"Working."

"Anything exciting?"

Rodney shrugged. "Trying to put some of my thoughts down about zero-point energy."

John kissed the crease between his neck and shoulder. "If you need to finish up, you can. I'll be all right. I think I want to go take a shower. Too many people other than you touching me today—both real and imagined."

"As long as you'll be okay, I'd like to."

"I've now interrupted you twice. Go ahead and get done what you need to. I know it's important."

Rodney nodded, offering John a shy smile as he rose to his feet. "Thanks. I'll be…" he pointed toward the alcove, "…over there."

John reached out to run a thumb along his ankle, tracing the cuff there. "I'm going to jump in the shower. I won't be long."

"Did you need anything…need to do anything before you shower?"

"Later. I... I'm going to need to touch you later. But once we start, I'm not letting you back up for the night. So get done what you need to now."

Rodney nodded again. He still wasn't in the mood for sex, but he didn't feel like arguing with John right now either. "I'll be working."

John rose and, after another quick kiss, disappeared into the bedroom.

Padding back over to the desk, Rodney sat down, turning the screen saver off that had popped onto the screen with one hand while he rubbed the back of his head with the other. It was a little tender, but it wasn't anything major.

It was odd, he thought absently, as his fingers typed in the document he had open. He was working in a luxurious suite in Vegas, naked except for the wrist and ankle cuffs, chastity device, collar, and harness—that were all locked onto his body—and the plug in his ass, which he wouldn't touch because John wanted it there.

Things had certainly changed.

Huffing to himself, he turned his attention back to the screen, working diligently and managing to distract himself from other things quite effectively. Work was always a good way to forget about crazy stalkers.

John reappeared in his peripheral vision at some point, naked and golden, body still gleaming where John hadn't been vigilant about drying off.

"Naked's a good look for you," Rodney commented absently, not quite looking up, his fingers continuing to type.

"That's my line."

"Didn't think you were using it anymore."

John chuckled, and Rodney heard the pop-hiss of a can of soda being opened. After the hangover incident, John had stocked the fridge with Coke. "Saved the galaxy yet?"

"No, not quite. That'll take more than five minutes."

A lean body was suddenly leaning against the corner of the desk, looking over his shoulder. "Any email from anyone I care to hear from?"

"Dunno," he said, finally glancing up. "Nothing to the personal account. I refused to look at work stuff."

"Mind popping onto mine and seeing if there's anything there? Carson should be back in the States by now, and I want to see if Elizabeth actually did anything for fun."

Rodney quickly saved what he was working on and opened the email client, waiting for the prompt to enter John's information before he pushed back away from the desk. "Have at it. I need to pee."

John caressed Rodney's jaw line, kissing him briefly before switching places.

Rodney padded across the room, taking several minutes to take care of business and clean up. The chastity device made it a little more difficult, but he'd gotten used to it. Moving back into the living room, he dropped onto the couch, aimlessly flipping through the television, strangely restless.

"Carson says to tell you hi, and Elizabeth wants us to all get together for dinner at least once before we head back. She says 'we', but there's no official word on what they're doing with us yet." John rose and draped himself over the back of the couch.

"Sure. Sounds like a blast."

Reaching down, John's fingers trailed to his nipples. He lightly flicked the tip of his finger across the nearest one. "I think we both need to come down before we go to bed tonight. Otherwise I'm afraid I'll I have another nightmare, and you won't sleep at all."

"Who needs sleep?" Rodney asked, shifting on the couch.

"Come into the bedroom. Let me have your body for a little while. I need this."

"John—"

"Trust me. Let go and let me touch you."

"I'm not going to stop you, since technically I really can't."

Leaning down a bit further, John touched his cheek, trailing a callused finger through the stubble. "I won't force you. This isn't about me making you submit, it's about you coming freely, and giving yourself to me."

Rodney sighed, leaning into John's touch.

With a soft smile, John stood up, pulling his hand away. "Come to bed, if you think you can do that, can give yourself up to me. Trust me to make you feel good, bring you down. If not, if you really don't think you can, it's okay. Just come in and we can go to sleep."

Rodney snorted. "Sleep is not on my horizon anytime soon."

"So come let me play with you for a little while. It's better than watching stupid shows on television, right?"

"How would you know? You slept through them."

"I've watched TV before, and you haven't actually stopped flipping channels, suggesting you aren't finding much to hold your attention." John turned and walked into the bedroom. "Up to you, Rodney. I said I won't force you, and I meant it."

"And if I decide to stay here instead?"

Glancing back, John shrugged. "Then odds are good I'll be asleep when you come to bed. Wake me up enough to snuggle close, and I'll see you in the morning. Love you."

Rodney sighed, but turned back to the television. It was going to be a long night.

***

With a sigh when Rodney didn’t follow him, John flopped down onto the bed. He really didn’t have the energy to force Rodney tonight. He had a feeling his lover was looking to be strong-armed into submitting, but after being sorta molested this afternoon, and then that dream… John wanted to play hard, but he didn’t want to do it without Rodney giving some sort of agreement first.

All he really needed was for Rodney to say okay, he would take it from there.

But McKay was dealing with his own issues. John reflected that he would probably be getting a lecture right now from Peter about going back out there and taking care of his partner, pushing aside his own needs. But he didn’t. He was a bad husband/lover/partner, and he hated himself for it.

He didn’t really have any desire to go to sleep again any time soon, not without some distraction, so he got up and looked through the toy drawer. If Rodney didn’t want to come play with him, he would have to play with himself a little. Maybe he could get himself into headspace enough to go back out and bring Rodney down too.

Grabbing the oil and the prostate massager—he hadn’t used one of them in years—he sprawled back out over the bed, starting slow, touching himself. It felt good, but he did wish it was Rodney’s fingers on him, and not his own.

He stroked himself, using the twists and pulls he knew would feel good but wouldn’t push him over the edge too fast. He closed his eyes and pretended it was Rodney touching him.

When he was hard and starting to pant a little he let go of his dick and propped up a knee, using more oil to reach around to his entrance. Pushing a finger inside, he couldn’t hold back the gasp, followed quickly by a low, continuous moan. He started to work a single finger in and out, pushing it just a bit further each time, trying to get himself just open enough to accept the toy.

When he was about as open as he had the patience for, he grabbed the small, white toy, slicking it up and slowing pushing it all the way in. It quickly settled itself against his prostate, rubbing over and over again against just the right spot, the second little arm massaging his perineum. He came hard, sobbing, as every movement just set off more sparks of pleasure.

When he finally got to the point where it was getting painful, he carefully pulled the small object out of his own ass, letting it fall to the bed. It took him a few minutes to get his breath back, but when he did, he felt loose, a lot of the day’s tension melting away.

Rolling out of bed and feeling a bit boneless and sated, John got himself and the toy more or less cleaned up and wandered back out to find Rodney hunched on the couch and looking unhappy. He dropped down next to him and leaned so he was pressed all along McKay’s side. “Anything good on?”

"Nothing." Rodney paused a minute before he turned back to John. "I thought you were going to bed."

"I didn't really want to go to sleep. And jerking off feels good, but it's just not the same as having you touch me. Not to mention, you have to be getting uncomfortable. If nothing else you need to let me take the plug out."

"Not bothering me," Rodney mumbled. "And you jerked off?"

"Mmm hmmm. I needed to get rid of some of the tension. Remind me to use the prostate massager on you. I'm surprised you didn't hear me come. But I feel better now."

"Well, I’m happy that one of us was able to put the events of today behind them."

"That's why I came back out. Now that I took care of myself, I can take care of you. I know you don't think you want it, but you really need me to make you relax and forget for a little while."

Rodney snorted, but didn't argue with him. It was a start.

John reached over and grabbed the remote, turning off the television. He leaned back, tugging on Rodney until his lover was stretched out on top of him, giving his hands free reign to skim along the broad back and tease the pert little ass with light scrapes of his nails. "Start talking. I don't really care about what. I just want to know what's on your mind."

"What's not on my mind? Brain the size of a planet and all."

"So ramble. I like hearing you talk. You always have interesting things to say."

"You actually want to know the possible scenarios that are going through my head if psycho Ginger actually had pictures and knows other things about you and me? And the fact that she took one of my plugs is just disturbing on a whole different level."

"I can't help you work through it if I don't know what you're thinking. And I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want to know." John had a feeling part of why Rodney was so tense was because he was holding all his emotions in. If he could just get his lover to open up and let them out...

"You don't want to know."

Since it usually seemed to ground him, John started rubbing slow, soothing circles in the small of Rodney's back. "Believe me, it probably isn't anything I haven't already thought of myself. Let me help you."

Rodney turned his head in toward John's neck, his breath drifting over the skin there, making John shiver a little, enough that he nearly missed McKay's nod.

Since Rodney wasn't ready to talk, John guessed that left it to him. He really wasn't the talker of this relationship, but it was odd to realize that no matter what face they presented to the world, when it was just them they were both very different people, more relaxed, with none of the masks they had each built over the years.

 

“Worst case scenario is that they do have pictures and send them to someone who decides this is the perfect opportunity to finally get rid of me. I’m discharged, and we’re free to do whatever we want. I wasn’t kidding about buying a small plane, maybe get some commercial work, and you could teach, go work for a lab, or start your own lab. Hell, I do actually have a Masters in Mathematics, along with my Masters in Aeronautics, so I could come work for you and do equations." John paused, letting his hand continue to stroke and rub Rodney's back.

 

“Best case scenario is that they were just trying to scare me and nothing ever comes of it. We go back to Atlantis where it doesn’t matter and they can’t get to us, and go on with our lives as the heads of military and science. We keep each other alive, we make new friends and enemies, and we spend as much time together off-duty as we can find excuses for. Hell, if I could figure out a way to make it legit, I’d move in with you. Maybe we can find suites somewhere in the city. If we can maintain the fiction that we have separate rooms, no one will call me on it.”

Rodney snorted, but didn't comment, his body radiating tension.

"They can't hurt us if we don't let them. They're only threatening my career, not my life. And we have other options. You might not have published in years, but you know enough to get around the confidentiality agreements and be a shining star in the world of physics in no time flat. We'll survive, and we'll be together. Hell, we could really BE together, all the time, without having to hide it from anyone, I'm half tempted to hope they do get me discharged."

"Could you leave Atlantis so easily?"

John sighed, hands still moving on Rodney's body. "No. I'm incredibly homesick, and I feel like a part of me is missing since I can't feel her in the back of my head. But she's just a city. If I have to choose between you and her, I'll take you with no regrets."

Rodney huffed again and a word that distinctly sounded like gratitude was mumbled against his neck.

"I think that's why, after my initial panic, I'm not more worried about them. They can't take you away from me, and everything else is negotiable."

"I just hate this. What did we do to them?"

"Nothing. They just decided I have a pretty face, heard I have a rank, and didn't really care that I wasn't interested. Eventually they'll get the picture and move on."

"You do have a pretty face."

John knew he was blushing from the heat in his cheeks. "I'm glad you think so."

Rodney took a deep breath and when he let it out, John could feel that some of the tension had left his body. Baby steps.

"So what else is on your mind?"

"Brain the size of a planet…"

John bounced Rodney a few time with his chuckle. "I meant it more specifically, rather than in general."

Rodney hand lifted, fingers wiggling. "It's all jumbled. Spinning around and around."

"That must be some hamster, to spin the wheel of a brain that large."

"You'd be surprised."

"You should breed it. We could make a fortune selling huge hamsters to kids."

"They'd die from malnutrition," Rodney muttered, shifting in John's arms.

"True. Hamsters used to being fed on colossal brain energy probably wouldn't be satisfied with lowly pellets. There goes another good idea." John was starting to get a little desperate to find a way to get Rodney to relax.

"And you used to have such good ones, Major."

"Only used to?"

"You fell short with the hamster thing."

"Give me a few minutes, I'll come up with something else." John grinned slightly into Rodney's shoulder. "We can't all have gems every time."

"Well, I’m waiting with bated breath."

"You could build super-planes, and I'd train people how to fly them. They'd be things of beauty, fast and sleek and would cut through the air effortlessly."

"Or maybe I'll just build the perfect bomb and end up blowing up an entire planet or something."

Back to this. John wondered if Rodney would ever really forgive him for doing what he thought he had to do to protect his people—including his lover. He didn't know if Rodney would let him deflect it for now or not, but it was worth a shot. He really didn't want to argue. "Or you could build cute little robots and we'd have the best-selling toy for the year. People would line up outside stores waiting for shipments of McKay's Tiny Terrors."

"Oh, yes. Small robots that can help the youth of today build bombs and live alternate lifestyles. I’m sure they'll be waiting in line for one of those."

So, yeah, not going to let him deflect. "You did what you had to do, just like I did. We were defending Atlantis, and through her the people of Earth."

Rodney pushed himself up so he could look at John. "And why are you bringing that up? I’m not talking about that."

John blinked. "Because you kept going on about bombs. I assumed that was what was bothering you."

"I've been building bombs since I was eight. Not exactly the best role model for today's youth."

"I don't know, I kind of think it is. Kids need to know brilliant is accepted and sexy and needed. That they shouldn't listen to the school bully, because in ten years that guy will be bagging groceries while they're off saving the galaxy."

Rodney rolled his eyes. "So your plan is to talk to me until I fall asleep? I have to tell you, it's not working."

"No, my plan was to talk to you until you relaxed enough that I can take you into the bedroom, tie you to the bed, and touch you until you're sobbing for release. Then I was planning to bury myself as deep inside you as I can get, and make us both come so hard we see stars. The falling asleep part doesn't come until after that."

"Oh." Rodney looked at him for a moment. "The relaxing part isn’t working."

"How about a massage?"

"I wouldn't say no."

Pushing him up, John pulled the chest harness off, since it would just get in the way. "Get comfortable on your stomach. I'm going to grab the oil."

"Here?"

"Where ever you'll be most comfortable. Either the couch or the bed, your choice."

"Bed. Definitely more comfortable."

"Come on then." Holding out a hand, John pulled him to his feet and they finally walked into the bedroom. The faint smell of sex was still in the air from when he had jerked off earlier. "Grab a towel to lie on so I don't get oil all over the place."

Rodney raised an eyebrow at John, obviously smelling the same thing John was, as he headed into the bathroom to grab one of the large bath towels. "Yes, sir."

John completely relaxed at that. Rodney was finally starting to unwind, to let go and just trust him to take care of both of them. He kissed his lover gently before they got situated, him straddling Rodney's legs as he began to work on the tense muscles.

And boy was he tense. How he was actually walking and moving with a back like this was almost impossible to comprehend.

John worked on Rodney's back until his hands were starting to cramp, digging into the muscles, finding and releasing knots all up and down his spine. When he had to stop, he sighed—he wished he could do this for hours, just him and Rodney and the slow slide of skin and oil. "If I don't stop now, I won't be able to use my hands tomorrow. I'll do this again soon, see if I can work a few more knots out in the morning before we meet Sue and Roger."

"Mmmm….'kay."

Smiling, John capped the bottle he had been using, then returned to the bed and used his open palm to rub Rodney's back, working the last of the fragrant oil into Rodney's skin.

Apparently massage was a way to get Rodney's brain to slow down. While sex usually worked better, this was not a bad alternative. And with the herbs in the massage oil, McKay might even be a little bit more willing for another activity John knew would finally turn his brain off.

"Turn over, lie on your back. Hands above your head, feet flat on the bed."

"Mmm?" Rodney murmured as he slowly turned over, eyes at half-mast.

John positioned him exactly how he wanted before attaching the straps to the cuffs. That done, he started to pet Rodney, running his finger through chest hair, along his thighs, and up his arms. "You feel so good. I can't get enough of touching you."

"Touch all you want," Rodney whispered, offering a half-smile.

Smiling, John did just that, spending a long time touching every part of Rodney he could reach. When touching wasn't enough, he followed the same paths with his mouth, kissing and licking skin, moaning softly to himself at how good Rodney tasted and felt on his tongue.

John could feel Rodney fighting it, like he didn't want to let himself slide into pleasure. But slowly, piece-by-piece, John chipped away at the wall Rodney had erected until his lover started to respond with content sighs and moans.

Until now, John had avoided Rodney's nipples, cock, and ass, wanting him to relax more than anything else. He quickly removed the chastity cage, kissing the tip as it sprang to life, hardening immediately. Then he turned his attention to the neglected nubs on his lover's chest, sucking on first one—rolling it on his tongue, biting down lightly—and then the other.

Rodney moaned and whimpered at the sensation, words finally spilling from his mouth. "John…so good…more…need more…"

"Not yet, but soon. I want us to come together, when I'm deep inside you."

"More…John…need more, need you…please…"

Grabbing the lube from the table, John resettled himself between Rodney's legs. "This has been in for a while, so I want to make sure you're not sore." He gently pulled the plug out. John's dick, which had already been hard, twitched almost painfully at the thought of being inside Rodney again. It didn't matter how often they did this, every time he wanted it like it was the first time again.

Rodney moaned, squirming a little as he tugged at his bindings.

Slicking up a finger, John pushed in slowly. "Tell me if I'm hurting you."

"Plug stretched me more than your finger does," Rodney whispered, a hint of impatience in his voice.

Smiling up at him, John found his prostate and brushed against it. "I know that. You're loose enough to take me now, but I wanted to make sure being held open all day hadn't made you sore."

Rodney groaned, shifting again. "Gotten used to it, to feeling full."

Slicking himself up, John pushed in, using one, long thrust to fully bury himself inside that tight, welcoming heat. "But a plug doesn't fill you like I do."

"Oh…God…no," Rodney groaned, his eyes fluttering shut. "Love this…"

Pulling out halfway, John adjusted his angle and pushed in hard, aiming for Rodney's prostate.

Rodney whimpered, clenching down hard on John's cock.

Gasping, John didn't try to tease or draw it out. Both of them needed him to take Rodney, claim him again, leave his mark on his lover. He pounded into Rodney hard, drawing out moans and wordless begging, until they were both near the edge. “Take me over the edge with you.”

With a wordless cry, Rodney came hard, spilling between them, shudders running through his body as the orgasm overtook him, the muscles in his ass clenched down harder on John's cock, forcing his own climax.

John saw stars as he came, gasping for breath. He went boneless afterwards, dropping down to blanket Rodney, and vaguely aware that he had come in his chest hair again. He was going to have to take another shower.

Rodney was panting under him, still offering a moan with every other breath.

When he had recovered basic body functions, John wiggled around until he could reach Rodney's mouth, kissing him until they were both breathless again.

After they panted several times, catching their breath, Rodney turned his head, initiating the next kiss, deeper and more passionate than the one before, moaning as he let John take control, opening up beneath him.

They kissed for a while, neither of them wanting to break the atmosphere. John finally rested his head on Rodney's shoulder, closing his eyes and enjoying the smell of sex and sweat and pure McKay that perfumed the room.

"So…a little more relaxed than before."

"Good to know. I think I'd be insulted if we both just came that hard and you said you were still tense."

"I didn't say I wasn't."

"I'll settle for more relaxed."

"I'm glad one of us will."

"I love your sense of daring, taunting the man who has you tied to the bed." John sat up enough so Rodney could see his grin.

"Why? You have other plans for tonight?"

"I was kind of thinking of changing out the leather cuffs for the rubber suction-cup ones and bringing you into the shower before we go to sleep."

"That's all? Not very inventive."

John shook his head. "Patience, young grasshopper. Obviously if I plan to stick you to the wall, I plan to do something with you."

"I guess," Rodney said with a huff.

John pulled out hissing slightly as he did, the draped himself along Rodney's side. "You'll have to do better than that. I have ideas, but I am not above being inspired by a man with a brain the size of a planet."

Rodney glanced away for a moment and John could see a slight hue on his cheeks. He mumbled something John didn't quite catch.

Raising an eyebrow, John narrowed his eyes. "What was that?"

"I like when you surprise me."

"I can do that," John said sitting up. "First things first. Shower." Unhooking the straps, John was happy to see Rodney getting into things again, relaxing and enjoying himself a little. Trading out the leather for rubber, he tangled their fingers together as they walked into the bathroom.

"Given the gleam in your eyes, I’m guessing that I’m going to be bound for the foreseeable future."

"And you're complaining?"

"Just commenting."

John kissed him before turning the water on. "I like having full access to your body."

"And I like you accessing it."

"Mmm, which is why we fit together so well." Once the water was the right temperature, John pulled Rodney into the stall with him, securing his lover's hands above his head and legs spread as far apart as was practical in the wet environment.

Rodney leaned his head back against the wall, watching John as he pulled out a washcloth and prepared it with soap.

"Close your eyes. Just feel for a few minutes."

The raised eyebrow and smirk was back. "Why?"

"Because I don't want to get the blindfold wet—I'll put it on you once we're done here."

"I thought we had more than one of those. And with all that stuff you didn't buy a waterproof one?"

"I didn't think I needed a waterproof blindfold since you could just, oh I don't know, close your eyes." John smirked right back at him.

"You nearly bought out the entire store, but you didn't buy a waterproof blindfold," Rodney said, shaking his head. "I think I'm shocked and disappointed."

John fought the laugh that was threatening to break free, trying to keep his expression stern. He had to admit, as much as he loved when Rodney submitted to him, this back and forth was just as good sometimes. "I only bought half the store. That leaves a few things we might have missed."

"Doubtful. I think we need more than one empty suitcase to bring it all home."

"If necessary I'll buy us another one to ship everything home in. And I haven't heard any complaints yet about the stuff I bought." John leaned out of the shower to grab a clean washcloth, draping it over Rodney's head so his vision was obscured. "Awww. You look like you're wearing one of those little lace cap things the girls in old fashioned pictures always have on."

Rodney scowled and shook his head, the cloth landing without a sound on the floor of the shower. "Oh look! That didn’t work."

John bit the inside of his lip to keep from laughing again, but it was getting harder. "Now Rodney, you're getting your hat all wet." He picked it up and replaced it on Rodney's head.

Sputtering as the water dripped down his face, Rodney managed to get the washcloth dislodged once again. This time it landed with a splat at John's feet. "You're going to have to try something else, flyboy."

John remembered that the cuffs Rodney was currently wearing had come with a few extra suction cups. With a speculative look at his lover, he darted out of the shower, grabbing one and getting water all over the place. When he got back, he hooked the clip to the back of Rodney's collar, then stuck it to the wall, effectively limiting his range of movement. Then the washcloth went right back on his head. "How's that?"

Rodney was quiet for a moment as he tested his minimal range of motion, which was just enough for him to send the washcloth to the floor for the third time. "You can do better," he said with a growing smirk.

John gave up trying to hide the grin. "You're a pain in the ass, you know that right?" He brushed his lips across Rodney's. "But you're my pain in the ass, and I wouldn't have it any other way." Reaching outside the shower again, he grabbed a bigger hand-towel, knowing it would hang down further and be harder for Rodney to dislodge, especially in his current situation.

"Oh, come on. What's with you and towels?"

"That's what I've decided to use at the moment, so I'm afraid you're just going to have to accept it."

"But it's stupid and I can still see. You are aware of that, aren't you?"

"You can see some, yes, but since you won't close your eyes and I don't want to get the blindfold wet, this is my solution." John adjusted the towel so he still had access to Rodney's mouth. He nibbled at the corners, pushing a leg between his lover's to give him a little friction.

Rodney moaned at the sensation, shifting his body a little, but the added section cup restraint didn't give him much room to move at all. "I still think you could come up with something better."

"Probably. But right now I'm more interested in other things." John ran his hands along Rodney's wet body, enjoying the almost frictionless contact.

McKay was much more relaxed than he was before, but his body radiated the same tension that John had finally managed to work out a day or so ago. So much for progress.

He knew he needed to bring Rodney down, but it was going to take some work. He would take it in stages, give Rodney the chance to release his stress a little at a time. That he was submitting at all was progress. Now John needed to get him to loosen up a little. Like earlier, he started with touch, soaping up the washcloth and carefully cleaning every part of Rodney's body.

Rodney offered quiet sighs and moans as John worked, slowly relaxing into his touch. John could hear the change in the tone of his voice. He was still fighting it, but not as firmly, not as much. It was almost like he wanted to hang onto his anger, his fear.

Coating his finger with soap, John turned his attention to cleaning Rodney's ass and cock, trailing his finger back and just inside his lover's body, running it up and down the shaft and carefully cleaning the skin behind his balls.

That got Rodney's attention. He sucked in his breath, holding it for a moment as John spent his time handing his balls, the groan and moans that followed deep and throaty. Glancing up, John had to smile as he caught a glimpse of Rodney's now-closed eyes under the towel.

With a wicked smile, John replaced his fingers with his mouth and tongue, knowing that since he didn't give the delicate sacks attention like this often, the sensation would drive Rodney closer to the edge.

The whimpers and moans were nearly as delicious as the taste of Rodney's skin, his cock hardening as John continued to tease him.

Moving up, John licked along the heavy vein on the underside of Rodney's erection until he got to the head. Darting his tongue in, he savored the flavor of clean skin and pre-come mingling together. "Mmmm, I could do this all day. You're better than any dessert."

"Oh…God," Rodney groaned deep and low. "Please, John…more…need you…"

"Not yet. I'm not done tasting you yet. Don't come."

"Won't…" he panted, the word ending in a moan as John licked him again. "Need you…need more…"

John left the tempting cock, standing up so he could reach Rodney's nipples. He used his whole tongue to swipe of the area a few times, then went to work teasing and tasting the first little nub.

Rodney moaned and shuddered, his body melting a little against the shower wall.

He kept up his assault until Rodney was shifting restlessly, trying to get contact to other parts of his body. With a grin, John didn't give it to him—instead he just moved to the other nipple and gave it the same treatment.

John felt the shift in the air a few beats later. It was like John could sense the exact moment that Rodney finally let go. It wasn't anything concrete, anything tangible, but something had changed.

With a smile of satisfaction, John stood up and turned off the water, tossing the towel to the side. "I'm going to unhook you and dry you off so I can put the leather cuffs back on."

Rodney's eyes opened slowly, staying at half-mast as he nodded, humming a little.

John unhooked the suction cup attached to the collar first, setting it aside. Then he quickly released the others and walked Rodney out into the middle of the bathroom, where a soft towel was used to strip the moisture from his body. That done, John took off the cuffs one-by-one and replaced them with their usual leather ones, locking them in place. "Go lie on the bed, on your back. I want to get a few things out of the toy drawer."

Rodney leaned forward, brushing his lips against John's as he whispered his agreement, before he headed out the bathroom door, moving slowly across the room to the bed.

John quickly brought their blindfold and gag, as well as a few toys, over to the bed. He hadn't decided yet what he wanted to use, so he arranged Rodney to his satisfaction and re-attached the straps. He kissed his lover deeply before the blindfold and gag went on.

Rodney moaned, tugging at the bindings before he finally relaxed into the mattress, hands clenching and unclenching several more times before they too were still.

Since he knew Rodney was close to the edge, and he wanted to push him even higher, John slipped a cock ring on him, kissing the leaking tip lightly.

He could feel the shudder in Rodney's body, the accompanying low moan bringing a smile to his face.

Sitting back to admire for a moment, John decided Rodney needed full sensory deprivation—it would get him into deep headspace faster, and let him stay there longer. Picking up the earplugs, John kissed each lobe, whispering softly before he inserted him. "When the ring comes off, I want you to come."

John's stroked Rodney's hair for a few moments, letting him settle once again, loving the feel of his lover's submission, his muffled moans of contentment and pleasure.

With a smile, John got up and went to the drawer again—he knew what he wanted to do now. He pulled a small bottle he didn't think Rodney knew about along with a brush. The blue liquid latex matched Rodney's eyes, and would harden wherever he painted it on. Dipping the fine bristles into the bottle, he started with Rodney's nipples, painting each nub and the surrounding area.

A half-yelp of surprise accompanied the first brushstroke which turned into a moan and shudder when John leaned down and carefully blew air over the wet spot, encouraging it to dry—shrinking and hardening a little.

Once his nipples were coated, John started painting an elaborate pattern on Rodney's chest, filling with swirls and dips that bled over onto his sides, and expanded part-way up his arms and legs.

Rodney was humming and moaning—much louder than normal—responding and reacting to every touch on his skin and body.

Using just the tip of the brush, John turned his attention to Rodney's leaking cock, painting his design there as well, just with thinner, more delicate strokes.

And it was funny. As soon as the brush touched Rodney's cock, he stilled immediately, even holding his breath as John worked, as if he didn't want to ruin the patterns John was drawing.

When he was done, John sat back and caught his breath at how beautiful Rodney was. He would have to make sure his lover looked in a mirror before they peeled off the designs later.

Although, Harry and Peter had gotten them a digital camera with the caveat: they had to send pictures when they could.

John grabbed it and took a quick shot to show Rodney later. If his lover wasn't comfortable keeping it, they could always delete it, but John really wanted him to see how amazing he looked like this. Moving back to the bed, he just sat and stared for a while, tracking the patterns with the tip of his finger.

It was so amazing to see Rodney like this. He wasn't moving, squirming, or shifting, simply laying spread out and open, breathing easily, and fully aroused. Complete submission…god…so beautiful.

John was aching now, needing to be back inside that perfect body. He had settled Rodney with a pillow under his hips when he had strapped him down so the angle was already right. Slicking himself up, John crawled between Rodney's legs and slid home.

Rodney groaned loudly, the sound rumbling from deep in his chest, before turning to a moan of pleasure and contentment.

With a measured pace, John let himself get a little lost in the pleasure of Rodney surrounding him, welcoming him. When he started to get close, he reached down, unfastening the cock ring from around Rodney.

With a moaning groan, Rodney shuddered and came hard, body going limp moments later even as the aftershocks continued to roll though his body and John thrust into him.

It only took a few more jerks of his hips, and John followed him, his whole body flooded with pleasure. This time, instead of collapsing on top of Rodney, he managed to roll himself to the side, scooting so they were pressed together as they both caught their breath.

Rodney's head was turned to the side, his body completely limp. He was breathing easily, but once the shudders of his orgasm finally stopped, he hadn't moved.

John grinned to himself a little as he got motor control again—Rodney only passed out when he came really hard. Grabbing one of the wet washcloths, he carefully cleaned away the come and sweat, taking his time to avoid disturbing the patterns.

Once Rodney was clean, John removed the earplugs, blindfold, and gag. He settled himself along Rodney's side to wait for his lover to wake up, and just watched him, enjoying seeing the expressive face that looked so innocent like this.

It took a few more minutes before John caught the first twitch cross Rodney's face, the slight shifting of his body as he reacquainted himself with his environment. A long content breath eased out of him a moment later.

"Hey, there. Welcome back."

"Mmm."

"Look down at yourself."

It took nearly a minute before Rodney finally opened his eyes and lifted his head, glancing down his body. John watched as surprise and then pleasure slid across Rodney's face. Dropping his head back down, he turned to John offering a smile. "All yours."

John made a noise that, if he was honest with himself, could only be called a purr.

"One favor, though…"

"Anything."

"If you're done for tonight…can you pull the pillow?"

John smiled, sitting up enough to pull it out from under Rodney's hips. "Anything else? Are you comfortable to sleep like this?"

"Mmm…better, thank you."

John settled back along Rodney's side. "Remind me later to show you the picture I took with the new camera. You can delete it if you aren't comfortable having pictures out there, but I wanted you to see how beautiful you are."

"You are not sending that to Peter and Harry."

"No. That one is just for us."

""kay," Rodney said, his eyes sliding closed for a moment before opening again. "Blanket might be good."

Still smiling, John gave him a sweet kiss before he pulled the blanket out and over them both. "Sleep well, Rodney."

"Mmm," Rodney said with a contented sigh as John wrapped himself around Rodney, pillowing his head on his shoulder, a leg between Rodney's outstretched ones. "Love you."

"Love you, too." John would never admit to the thrill that went through him every time Rodney said that first. He fell asleep warm, relaxed, and content with his world.

***

Rodney woke slowly, leisurely, shifting on the bed, curling onto his side and burrowing a little deeper into the covers. The slight pull on his chest made him finally open his eyes and duck his head so he could see down his length, spotting the blue paint still adorning his body that John had painted on last night.

Last night.

Huh.

Moving again, he pulled the blanket down with his left hand, his right still above his head and locked to the strap on the bed. His legs, while no longer spread eagle, were locked together and attached to the straps that had been loosened, giving him a little more room to move.

All that was missing was John.

John.

God. He'd tried so hard yesterday to calm him down. He really didn't deserve the crap he threw at him on a regular basis, but he took it and worked with him until they both got what they wanted.

And wow. Last night had been amazing.

John could have folded him in a strange pretzel shape and Rodney didn't think he would have cared. He'd been so relaxed, floating in a haze of pleasure in a place John had brought him to.

He hadn't slept so well and so solidly in a long time.

Someone humming from the living area caught his attention, along with the soft clatter of dishes. A few minutes later, John sauntered in, holding two plates of what smelled like breakfast. "Hey. You're up. Good, I figured we could eat, clean that paint off you, and then I'll call Roger and Sue and see where we're meeting them."

Rodney blinked twice. "Hi."

John gave him a huge, goofy grin, setting the plates on the end of the bed where they wouldn't be disturbed, then plastered himself on top of Rodney, sneaking in a few wet, sloppy kisses. "Good morning!"

Rodney wrapped his free hand around John, letting his fingers trail through the hair at the back of his neck. "Morning. There is coffee, right?"

"Mmm hmmm. I was going to go back and get it after I brought the plates in. I had them bring us sausage and waffles. I haven't had good waffles in years."

"That sounds like breakfast," Rodney agreed, dropping his head back down on the pillow. "While this is a really great way to wake up, you do know that I can't eat like this, right?"

John hummed happily as he continued to press light kisses into Rodney's neck. With another grin, he sat up and unlocked the strap attached to Rodney's wrist, grabbed a plate and handed it to him. "Waffles aren't really good cold. Here, start eating while I go get the coffee."

Struggling to get upright without upsetting the plate, Rodney shook his head as John bounded out of the room. Someone had had a good night, too, it seemed.

When John came back, he was only moving marginally slower, and only because he was trying not to spill the hot coffee all over himself. Rodney couldn't help but notice the long, lean lines of his lover's body, or how he moved with a grace he didn't even seem to be conscious of. "Here you go, just the way you like it."

"Thanks," Rodney said, taking the offered mug in his hands and breathing in the aroma of the coffee before he sipped at it, moaning.

He opened his eyes in time to catch John staring at him, arousal starting to darken his eyes. "I love watching you drink good coffee and eat good chocolate. It's better than porn."

Rodney chuckled, feeling his face turn flush. "I like food and sex. What's wrong with that?"

Shaking his head, John's eyes didn't leave Rodney as he sipped his own coffee and ate his breakfast. "Absolutely nothing at all. Why do you think I keep finding excuses to give it to you?"

Snorting, Rodney shook his head, turning back to his own breakfast, spending the next few minutes eating in silence. When he was done, John took the plate from his lap, giving Rodney a few more minutes to finish his coffee before he took the empty mug as well. When John returned to the bed a few moments later, Rodney raised his eyebrow. "You look like you have a plan."

John gave him a fake innocent look. It was ruined by the twitching at the corner of his mouth and the laughter in his eyes. "Do I look like the kind of guy who makes plans?"

"Well, the fact that I’m still chained to the bed leads me to believe that you do indeed have a plan."

John went down on all fours at the end of the bed, slowly crawling up Rodney's legs, forcing him to lie back so he could come all the way up. When their faces were even, he winked and kissed the tip of Rodney's nose. "Maybe I just like the sight of you tied to the bed."

"It's not like you can see me tied to the bed with the blankets over me," Rodney said, rolling his eyes.

"Ah, but I know you're tied to the bed, and this way I can let my dirty mind imagine all kinds of things. Like that you're already hard and leaking for me. Or that you keep trying to spread your legs because you want me between them so desperately, but you keep getting pulled short."

The last part was true. Rodney had instinctively tried to open his legs to let John slid into place on top of him, but the locked cuffs wouldn't let him. "I thought seeing is believing."

He got a dirty chuckle as John ground down a bit, wiggling in all the right places. "I don't really need to see it to know it wants me to suck on it."

"Ohhh," Rodney moaned, feeling his body respond.

John chuckled again. "I don't need to see your body to know that it wants to be touched, loved, kissed, caressed, sucked on, licked, and nibbled. Not necessarily in that order."

"You are so evil."

John reached down and found him without any trouble—probably because he had started to tent the blanket. The feel on John through a layer of fabric felt almost dirty, forbidden. It was amazing.

"I know my audience."

Rodney groaned again, needing to thrust but with John's weight on him he couldn't. "What…oh…what do you want?"

"To drive you crazy with need." John flashed him another grin.

"John…come on," Rodney begged, hands on John's shoulders trying to move him.

John tilted his head and got an exaggerated 'thinking' look for a moment. "No, I don't think so. You aren't nearly crazy enough yet. You aren't begging for me to fill you, suck you, make you fly yet. You aren't pulling at the ankle cuffs in a desperate need to spread your legs yet. I don't think I'm ready to just flip of the covers and swallow you down. Yet."

"John," Rodney laughed, shaking his head. "Why don't you just get to it already?"

John gave him one of his few truly genuine smiles. "Because I hadn't made you laugh yet. That's really all I was waiting for." He sat up and pulled the blanket out of the way.

"That's it? That's what you were waiting for?" Rodney knew he was sending John one of his 'I work with crazy people' looks, but he didn't care. It fit.

"You have a great laugh, but you don't use it often enough." John moved so he could kiss Rodney again, this time giving him the deep, very talented kind. "I love being the one who can make you laugh."

Rodney moaned into the kiss, wrapping his arms around John as he settled down on top of Rodney, skin pressed to skin, cock rubbing against the material covering John's cock.

John broke the kiss panting, reaching down to shove his boxers out of the way. He lined up their cocks again and wrapped a hand around both of them, using the pre-come they were both leaking as lube. Capturing Rodney's mouth in another hot kiss, he started to move, rubbing them together and adding little twists of his wrist that felt amazing.

Tugging at his ankle bindings in an effort to open his legs to settle John against him more, Rodney groaned into the kiss, the sound turning to a moan as Sheppard stroked their cocks together, thoroughly plundering his mouth at the same time.

With a groan, John pulled back, letting his own dick fall out of his hand. He sat back and watching Rodney's erection disappear and reappear slowly. When he caught Rodney's eye, the gleam was back, this time mixed with more than a healthy dose of arousal. "How long do you think you can take me doing this before you have to come?"

"I…I don't know," Rodney managed to stutter as John continued to stroke him.

"I think I want to see. I'm usually too busy being buried in you, or you're face is covered, as you slowly lose control. I want to watch the pleasure build in your face, watch your eyes flutter as you can't take it any more and you come."

"Oh, come on, John," Rodney said, rising up slightly, his hands reaching for John.

John did the twisty thing again, this time moving his thumb to swipe across the head. "You'll get to touch me in a little while. Once you recover, I have every intention of getting those talented hands on my body."

Rodney shuddered, moaning, dropping back against the mattress. "Come on," he said, reaching once again once he'd finally caught his breath.

John tilted his head inquisitively, his hand never stilling. "Come on what?"

"You don't have to watch," Rodney panted, wanting to touch, but not willing to sit up, not quite sure what to do with his hands.

"I like to watch. You're sexy all the time, but watching you lose control is probably the hottest thing I've ever seen."

"No, it's really not," Rodney shook his head.

John did a few things with his fingers that had Rodney panting hard again. When he recovered enough to look at John again, he saw his lover was breathing hard, eyes wide and dilated. "It really is."

Knowing he wasn't going to talk John out of it, he did the one thing he knew would allow him to let go: offered his hands to John, palms up, wrists together. For some reason when he was tied, it gave him the freedom to let everything he was feeling out, not holding back the way he normally would.

John moaned, clipping the cuffs together with one hand, the other not releasing its grip on his erection. "Hot. So hot…"

He closed his eyes as he moaned. "Oh god…please, John…"

Picking up the pace slightly, the only sound John made was a harsh pant.

"Strap…attach…oh god…please…need more…please…"

Proving that he was more coordinated than he usually let on, John managed to shift so he could reach for one of the wrist straps, hooking it onto the locked cuffs and pulling it tight, all without losing his grip on Rodney's dick.

Tugging at his bound wrists, Rodney finally felt himself letting go, letting himself simply feel John's hand on his cock, his hand pulling strangled moans and whimpers from his mouth and throat.

"Let go, Rodney. Just give in to it."

Head thrown back, his body trembling and shuddering, Rodney did exactly that. Moaning and groaning in pleasure, his entire being was focused on the sensation of John's hand on his cock and the pool of pleasure building in the base of his spine.

"So beautiful like this... God, I love you..." John's voice was quiet, awed, and just enough to penetrate the haze of pleasure he was building around Rodney.

John was shattering him, piece-by-piece, stroke-by-stroke, pulling him apart with the promise that he'd put him back together again even better than before. And Rodney gave himself up to the sensations, trusting that John would do exactly that.

John's free hand was suddenly down between his legs, fondling his balls while the other continued to stroke him higher and higher.

He heard a keening and moaning, vaguely realizing it was his own desperate cries for release, his body trapped between sensation and release, balanced delicately on the edge as the pressure continued to build.

"Come." It was a quiet whisper so close he could feel John's breath on his ear.

His body responded almost immediately, shuddering hard, spilling over John's still moving hand and onto his stomach, moaning and sobbing with the pleasure of release. John stroked him through the aftershocks until he softened in his hand and the pressure nearly became too much on his over-sensitized skin.

As soon as his cock was released from John's gentling grip, a hot mouth was on his, desperate with want. "Touch me, God, Rodney, please, need you to..." John fumbled the straps off, and unlocked the cuffs, all of his earlier grace and dexterity gone, replaced by a wild need for Rodney.

As soon as his hands were free, they were roaming everywhere on John's body they could reach, lightly trailing across skin, nails scraping along his arms and back. Hands cupped and held John's ass, grinding him downward, feeling him buck against the pressure. Using the come on his stomach as lubricant, Rodney grasped John's cock in his hand, stroking him firmly, just the way John liked, as he leaned up to catch Sheppard's mouth in a kiss, opening up and letting him take what he wanted as his free hand continued to touch and stroke.

John was making a low, whining noise, and his hips moved restlessly. He chanted Rodney's name over and over in the spaces between kisses, each time sounding a little more desperate, a little more needy.

Sliding his hand from John's back between them, Rodney managed to grasp one of the nipple rings, tugging and rotating the metal ring.

"OhGodFuckRodney!" John arched off the bed, coming hard, his whole body shaking with it.

McKay eased him through the end of his orgasm, stroking him until he was soft and sated, draped across him limply. Taking a breath, Rodney pulled his hands out from under John's body, clasping them together in the small of John's back, rubbing the come off on his skin.

John pushed his face into Rodney, making the content noise that sounded a lot like his lover was purring.

Chuckling lightly, Rodney closed his eyes. This was the best way to wake up in the morning. Breakfast, coffee, and sex.

Shifting in an effort to get a little more comfortable, Rodney tugged at the bonds still holding his feet together and to the bed, feeling his face flush a little as he remembered what he'd just asked John to do. God. He'd needed that extra security in order to just let go, sure in the knowledge that John would take care of everything.

John finally lifted his head, looking down at him, a goofy, sated grin in place. "Good morning."

"Morning."

John stretched against him, then sat up, not moving out of touching range. "Oh. I wanted to show you that picture." He reached across Rodney for the camera that was on the nightstand, handing it over.

Wiping his hand on the sheets beside him, Rodney took the camera, turning it on quickly, the image loading a few beats later.

He looked like that?

Feeling his cheeks warm, Rodney narrowed his eyes, looking a little bit more closely at the small screen before glancing up at John, speechless.

"Beautiful." John's eyes were soft, full of emotion. "I wanted you to see what I see."

"What…what's it like…for you when we do this?" Rodney finally asked, his words quiet, eyes back on the screen.

John moved so he was sitting close enough to look at the screen at the same time. "It's hard to describe. I have my own headspace where all that matters is you, and making you feel good. It's... satisfying, arousing, to see you relaxing under me, know that I'm the one who can make you fly like that."

Rodney reached out, carefully tracing a finger over the screen his own memories of last night washing over him.

"What about you? What does it feel like when I have you like that?"

"It's…it's hard to explain…to put into words," Rodney finally said, the words hushed, whispered. "It's safe…a safe place. It's passionate, comforting, freeing. All that matters is your touch and every…everything you do, every fleeting sensation just reinforces it. It's almost like you give me permission to stop worrying, thinking, whatevering because you're there to take care of things for a little while."

John reached for Rodney's face, tilting it for sweet kiss. "That's exactly what I want you to feel. Taking care of you, letting you relax and just enjoy yourself for a little while without all the worries and problems weighing you down... That's the most amazing feeling in the world. It's better than flying or Ferris wheels."

"Thank you," Rodney whispered, lips brushing against John's as he leaned in toward him again.

They shared almost chaste kisses for a while, just enjoying the press of bodies. So both of them were startled when John's cell phone started ringing in the other room. John nearly jumped off the bed. "Shit! Ow. Okay, lemme get that..."

Rodney chuckled as John sprinted from the room, his eyes drifting back to the small camera screen. After a few moments, he turned the camera off, saving the picture on the card.

He heard John's voice drifting back in as he answered the phone, just before he reappeared in the doorway, leaning against it as he talked. "...sounds great. God, it's been what? Five years since we last got together? Yeah, I know. Hey, lemme check with Rodney..." John looked up at him. "Meet up with Roger and Sue for lunch, spend the afternoon with them, then we all go meet Peter and Harry for dinner tonight. Sound okay?"

Nodding, Rodney sat up, pulling the blanket up over his legs. The air conditioning was blowing a little more this morning it seemed. "Whatever you want."

John beamed at him. "Perfect. We'll meet you in the lobby at noon then. Tell Roger I said no kinky stuff in public." He laughed at what the other person said in response. "You, too. All right, see you in a bit."

Rodney narrowed his eyes as John hung up the phone. "Kinky stuff in public?"

Still laughing, John reached under the blanket to unhook his ankles. "Roger has a thing for public displays of affection. He keeps it clean—most of the time—but I tease him about it whenever I see him."

"Oh," Rodney said, stretching a little once his feet were free. "How long do we have to get ready?"

"We're meeting them at noon in the lobby, and its 0930 now. So we have time to shower and get you cleaned up before we head down."

Glancing down at his chest, Rodney had to agree. Cleaning up the blue latex paint might be a good plan. "So how much is this going to hurt coming off?"

John held up a bottle he had pulled from their toy drawer. "This came with it—it's a body wash that should help loosen it up. And I checked before I bought this stuff—no citrus anywhere in sight. Your body hair isn't too long, so between the soap and hot water, it hopefully will come right off."

"Hopefully," he said, rolling his eyes. "Meaning you hope I don't scream bloody murder as you rip out my hair."

"No, that would be me—unless I shave my chest hair, we won't be trying the latex on me. But yours is a lot shorter and finer, so it shouldn't be bad."

Rodney eyed John, amusement on his face. "Maybe. You hope. Even though you didn't say those terms I heard them loud and clear."

"Tell you what, if it hurts coming off, not only will we not use it again, I'll let you use it on me. I'll have to shave it off, but for you, I'm willing to make the sacrifice." Grinning, John wandered into the bathroom, and Rodney heard the water start.

"You shave? That's like cutting off Samson's hair or something. And I have no intention of dating a member of the swim team," Rodney yelled loud enough for John to hear him over the running water.

John popped his head out, looking surprised. "You actually like me hairy?"

This time Rodney felt the flush down his chest. "Maybe." At John's raised eyebrow, he continued. "Okay, yes, fine. I love you just the way you are and I know that's just a sappy Billy Joel song, but it's the truth."

John's eyes widened, and he crossed the room to wrap Rodney in his arms, pulling him in for a deep kiss. "Say things like that and we will never make it out of this room."

"And that's a bad thing?" 

"Mmmmm. Come on, if I'm going to run my hands all over your body, we might as well be wet and soapy at the same time. Multi-tasking, so to speak."

"You're good at the multi-tasking stuff, I've noticed." John unlocked the four cuffs on Rodney's wrists and ankles, exchanging them once again for the waterproof ones that went with the suction cups in the shower. With a tug on their clasped hands, Rodney followed John into the already-steaming bathroom. He adjusted the water temperature before stepping inside, pulling Rodney in with him.

Rodney found himself once more stuck to the wall, hands comfortably above his head, and legs spread far enough apart to give John access. He poured the special soap into the washcloth and started to rub at the blue lines covering Rodney's torso. "Let me know if it sticks."

"Don't worry, you'll know."

"'kay." John's face took on a note of concentration as he removed the latex, trying not to make it painful.

Surprisingly—at least to Rodney—he only had to warn John twice, his warning of "Pulling, pulling!" making John back off, adding more soap and water before trying again.

By the time the latex was all off, the water was starting to cool slightly. John used their regular soap to quickly finish cleaning them both before they lost the hot water altogether.

"Make sure you get the spot in the small of your back," Rodney said, finally breaking the silence that had settled warm between them.

"Huh?" John looked up, and Rodney was struck by how young he looked with his hair flattened by the water, strands drifting into his eyes.

"I…may have…ah…wiped my hand on your back."

Raising an eyebrow and shaking his head as he grinned, John freed one of Rodney's hands and handed him the washcloth, turning around. "Get it for me?"

Rodney rubbed the cloth over the area in question before branching out, wiping the rest of his back and drifting down into the cleft of his ass. It was hard to do one-handed, but he managed.

John wiggled his ass a little. "Keep doing that."

"I only have so much leverage and footing, John," Rodney said after John moved forward slightly, making Rodney reach for him—relying almost entirely on the support from the suction cups and the knowledge that John's body would cushion his fall.

"S'okay. We can't stay in here much longer anyway. It's going to get really cold soon."

"I miss the endless hot water."

"Yeah. And fixtures that respond to thought. I can't tell you how many times I've almost killed myself thinking 'on' at the lights and then falling over in the dark. Fortunately, you're usually still asleep when I do it."

"Too bad, that would be fun to watch," Rodney commented as John shut off the water. Sheppard turned and offered him a scowl.

"You want to watch me narrowly miss taking a nose-dive into the door?"

"You're normally so light on your feet," Rodney said with a shrug, feeling a little at a disadvantage because of his current position.

John unhooked the last three suction cups, freeing him from the wall. He brushed a light kiss across Rodney's lips. "I'll be sure to wake you up before I go stumbling around next time."

John dried him carefully and they ended up finishing the rest of their morning routine side-by-side, John pressing a kiss to his clean-shaven face before leading him back into the bedroom.

Standing in the middle of the room, John looked around. "We actually have to pack all this stuff."

"You bought it and we still need to pick up some replacement items."

"We can run in this afternoon. Sue usually likes to go there when she's in town anyway."

"Does she?"

John glanced over at him. "We don't have to go with them if you're uncomfortable. We can run in before the flight tomorrow."

"No. I'd like to look around a bit."

Grabbing clothes for both of them, John walked back over and started dressing Rodney first. "It's up to you. We are going there again before we leave to replace your stuff, but I don't really care when we do it."

"No, we can go. But do I need to know anything before we go in?"

With Rodney's clothes in place, John started pulling his own boxers on. Pausing, he looked up. "Like what?"

"Between the sales girl and some of the customers, I was getting odd looks. Was I that out of place? I didn't realize there were rules to shopping."

John blinked. "The collar. I had forgotten about that. After I put it on you, that's when you got treated a little differently, right? I can either take it off you before we go in, or if you're not with me you can stick with Roger. I don't think I've ever seen him without some sort of collar on, so he's used to how to handle it."

"Roger?" Rodney asked, his eyes going wide.

John pulled on the rest of his clothes, running a hand through his hair. "Yes. Why?"

"He's the…I figured Sue would be."

The confusion on John's face was quickly replaced by amusement. "Sue? Nah. She's one of the most toppy people I've ever met. Don't be surprised if she orders us both around."

Rodney felt his face harden as his stomach dropped uncomfortably.

"Rodney?" John was suddenly in front of him, cupping his face.

"I don't just take orders from anyone."

"Of course not. You're mine, and I don't share. I didn't mean those kinds of orders. More like 'You need to try this entree,' or 'Have you tried this before? No. Try it now.' kinds of things. Actually, since you're wearing my collar, odds are good she'll only do that to me."

"Still," Rodney said with a huff, crossing his arms over his chest.

John's smile was tender. "I'm not going to complain. I don't really want anyone else giving you orders either. Sue is a friend, and she's been ordering me around for years. That's really all I meant. I promise. I didn't want you to be surprised by it."

"Consider me warned."

"Sue makes amazing cupcakes. Did I tell you that before? She'll probably have some for us when we meet up with them."

"You may have mentioned it," Rodney said, moving to the dresser to grab his watch. Without something on his wrist he felt naked.

"So we have an hour and a half until we meet them. Want to go downstairs and see about buying another suitcase while we have the time?"

"Sure."

Linking their hands, they wandered downstairs, finding a luggage store nearby. After browsing for several minutes, John leaned his shoulder into Rodney's. "See anything in particular you like?"

"It's luggage. You put crap in them and the airlines mangle them."

"True. But somehow I couldn't see you dragging that hot pink number through the airport." John pointed to a truly hideous piece of luggage. "And we might as well get something useful. Are there any sizes you need?"

"No," Rodney said, spotting a coffee shop across the way. "Just pick something. I'm going to grab some coffee."

John grabbed his hand. "Wait for me and we'll go together."

Rolling his eyes, he looked at John. "It's across the hall and I’m not five."

"I know. I just... Stay with the crowd then, all right? I won't be long."

Rodney nodded, his mind already on coffee products as he headed out the door, dodging a few people intent on the scenery instead of actually watching where they were walking. He stared at the menu, weighing his options as he stood on line. They were semi-efficient, he noted, the two girls at the register taking orders and money quickly and easily, the baristas working just as fast to fulfill the drink requests.

His vanilla double-shot latte was simple and he received it less than a minute after ordering. The first sip, while scorching, was perfect and he hummed appreciatively.

"Well, look who we have here. Fancy running into you, Doctor McKay." The female voice was full of fake enthusiasm.

Rodney turned, glaring at whomever it was who'd interrupted him. He didn't recognize her at first, but after a few seconds it finally clicked: porn girl.

"You know hotel security is looking for you, right?"

She moved closer to him, and in the background he saw an older woman, along with a few other young ones hovering. "Are they now?"

"It's amazing what you can do with a few connections, don't you agree?"

"You know, I was just thinking the same thing Doctor McKay. Funny how that works, isn't it?"

"It is actually. I assume you want something, otherwise you wouldn’t be stalking me or my partner, or speaking to me right now."

She shrugged and inched a little bit closer. "I just thought I would come say hello. See how Major Sheppard is feeling today. He looked a bit peaked last time we talked."

"He's fine. Actually, he's across the hall. But I'm sure you know that already."

She hummed her agreement. "It really would be a shame if such a talented man were to have his career completely ruined, wouldn't it? I would hate to see anything…unhappy…happen to him."

"Such as?" Rodney rolled his eyes, putting on one of his 'you are an idiot' expressions. "You speak in such general terminology that's it's hard to actually perceive the threat you're attempting to communicate. You really should think about finishing your GED. It might help your prospects when it comes to making and following through on the threats you are attempting to make in the first place."

Her eyes narrowed. "All right then, Doctor McKay. Convince the good Major that you're leaving him and you're no longer available. If not, some very…explicit photographs are going to make their way into influential hands."

Rodney laughed. "That's better. I'll have to give you credit for having a seriously large set of balls, but that's a no can-do." He shrugged, moving past her.

She reached out, latching onto his arm. Before either of them could say anything else, however, a low drawl with a very dangerous undertone broke in. "I'd suggest getting your hand off him if you're at all interested in keeping it in one piece."

Rodney offered her a knowing smile. "I've seen him kill people for less. Your call."

Ginger narrowed her eyes further, but dropped her hand. "You really should consider all your options before you make any decisions, Doctor."

As soon as her hand was off him, John moved in, not-so-casually placing himself between Rodney and the porn star. "I'm only going to say this one more time, so listen carefully. I don't really give a shit if you decide to tank my career because I won't fall madly in love with you. Do not ever attempt to approach either myself or Rodney ever again. We aren't interested in what you or your mother has to say."

"We'll see," Ginger said with a huff before she turned on her heel and left the coffee shop, her mother and minions in tow.

John turned back to him, and now Rodney saw the sleek black luggage he had been dragging behind him. "Are you okay? What did she say to you?"

"I'm fine. Did you want to bring that to the room?"

"Yes." John was looking him over carefully, reaching out to catch his free hand and squeeze it tightly. "You're sure you're okay?"

"The last time I checked I was able to carry on a conversation with someone other than you," Rodney said, letting John lead him out of the shop before they got too large of an audience.

"I know, that wasn't what I meant." John's thumb was tracing circles on the back of his hand as they walked back to the elevator. "I wanted to make sure she didn't threaten you."

"I've heard much worse and much more threatening threats from fellow scientists," he said as they stepped into the elevator, several other people following them in.

John's eyes didn't leave him as he nodded slowly. "All right. We'll just ignore them then. As long as they don't steal any more of our stuff or try to hurt you, I really don't care what they do."

Two of the people stepped out on a lower floor, leaving one other woman with them. Rodney waiting until she reached her floor before answering. "Other than the time you saw, she didn't touch me."

Rodney could see the tension easing out of John's frame. "Good. Otherwise I might have had to hunt her down and kill her."

"And that would be the perfect way to end a vacation don't you think?" Rodney said sarcastically as they stepped out onto their floor, John dragging the suitcase.

John waited until they were inside to pull Rodney hard against him. "You're mine. I know I have to let it roll off me when people touch you casually in everyday life—I can deal with that. But I won't sit by and let anyone put their hands on you with the intent to hurt you in any way."

"She didn't hurt me, John," Rodney said calmly—much more so than he expected himself to be.

John caught his mouth in a fierce kiss before responding. "I know. And I'm being a little irrational, aren't I?"

"Possessive and protective is closer to the truth."

"You bring it out in me. I love you too damn much to stand for anyone making you unhappy."

Rodney wrapped his arms around John, resting his head against his shoulder. They relaxed together, fooled around a bit for a while before it was time to get moving again. It didn't take them long to get 'presentable' as John put it, and then they were once more hand-in-hand heading down to meet more of the people who had helped make John Sheppard the man he was.

It was odd, in a way, to meet these people, none of whom Rodney would know or have even heard of if it weren't for his relationship with the man. It's not like John ever talked about Earth or the people he knew or cared about back here.

"There they are." John waved and a fairly nice-looking couple stood up from where they had been sitting on a fountain, both smiling widely. The woman had bright red hair, and from the way she moved, was probably one of those people with an endless supply of energy. The man was darker, slightly taller than her, with features that weren't sexy on a John Sheppard level, but still handsome. And he was wearing a metal collar—there was no mistaking what it was—along with what looked like matching cuffs on each of his wrists.

He glanced at John who was smiling broadly and enveloped both in a big hug as soon as they were close enough.

"Sue! Roger! Wow, it's been forever since I've seen you guys! You look great! This is Rodney McKay, my partner." John dragged him forward, where he was enveloped in a second set of giant hugs.

"Hi," he said as he finally untangled himself.

Sue proved him right by talking at a speed he previously thought only he was capable of. "Oh! I have heard so much about you from Harry and Peter, and all of it is just lovely! I am so excited to finally meet you, and John just looks so amazingly happy. And you are just the cutest thing I have ever seen. How did Roger's pants fit you? Did you like them? Now that we've met you, he can tailor something a little more to your tastes—we only had John's descriptions and measurements to go one for that first pair."

"They fit fine and yes, John liked them," Rodney said, glancing toward John. What was it about John's friends and their ability to overwhelm?

John was grinning at him, although as soon as Sue had released him, Rodney found his hand right back in the safe circle of John's fingers. "He looks fantastic in them. Tight in all the right places.”

Roger was eyeing him up and down. “Hmm, if you don’t mind, I would like to see them on you later. There are a few different styles, and I went with the most generic. Now that I see your body type, there are a few others that might work even better, but I need to see how the fit is before I can say for sure.”

Rodney bobbed his head once. "Ah…sure."

Sue jumped right back in, and Rodney could see why John had wanted to give him a little warning. She was like a naquadah generator in human form. "Okay, so we're absolutely starving, and I have been eyeing that burger joint for the last twenty minutes. So let's go get some food, and then John, I want to hear all about what you've been up to, and Rodney, I want your life story in thirty minutes or less. We'll start with you. Go."

Shaking his head, Rodney answered as they walked to the restaurant. "Brilliant astrophysicist who happens to do some contractual work for the US government. I work with John. Most everything else is classified."

"Family? Schooling? Quirky yet amusing personal anecdotes?"

"Multiple PhDs and Doctorates. Born in Canada. Most of my schooling in the States."

"Rodney's the smartest guy on the planet." John beamed, squeezing his hand. "He just can't publish because, well, classified."

"And I met John at my latest posting," Rodney added as they stepped up to the hostess station.

"So you work together? Good. It's nice to know John has someone watching out for him while he's off playing the hero, or whatever it is he does." Roger smiled. And it was really bizarre how laid-back the man was, especially in contrast with his wife. What was with John and befriending the oddest couples imaginable?

"Yes, we work together," Rodney confirmed.

They got seated fairly quickly, and Rodney noticed Roger didn't even touch the menu. Instead he leaned forward while Sue browsed the offerings. "What do you do for fun? Are you into that sci-fi stuff John was always going on about?"

"I try to stay alive. That's about all I get the chance to do," Rodney said.

When the waitress came over to take their order, Sue got something for both herself and Roger. John got a hamburger and then raised an eyebrow in Rodney's direction.

"Something light."

John smiled widely at him, leaning over to press a soft kiss to his lips. Then he ordered Rodney a grilled chicken sandwich—absolutely no citrus!—and a salad for them both.

Rodney muttered his thanks as the waitress left, feeling Sue and Rodger's gaze on them.

"So," Sue looked from Rodney to John then back to Rodney. "Peter and Harry told me a little about you guys, but I like my information to come from the source. Rodney I see you're wearing a collar—a lovely one actually."

"Yes? And? Therefore?"

"Is this your first time as the sub in a relationship?"

Rodney gritted his teeth, but answered. "Yes."

Roger seemed to sense Rodney's reaction to the question, so he neatly stepped in before his wife could start talking again. "If you have any questions, feel free to send these two away and you and I can chat. John, you still haven’t told us about what you’ve been up to.”

With a quick glance at Rodney, John picked up the thread of conversation, leaving out all the classified stuff, but managing to get a good deal of information in about his life. He kept it going through most of the meal.

Rodney half-listened to the conversation, his mind wandering through everything that had happened during the week. He was a little surprised by Roger's offer, but the thing was, he did have questions, but he didn't even know where to start. With Harry, it was different. They weren't hardcore in any way, but Sue and Rodger were—and it seemed in a relatively big way.

It was Sue's question to him that finally startled him out of his thoughts.

"Are you always this quiet, or did I manage to offend you already? If so, you wouldn't be my record for fastest person to alienate. That title goes to an inane man who walked into the store and was so stupid I had to chase him out again. It only took me five minutes."

"Sorry," Rodney instantly said, the apology coming out without real thought. "You're not what I expected and I'm trying to make a decent impression. People and me don't generally get along."

She waved a hand, and Roger started choking on his water, earning a glare from his wife. "Then you and I will get along fine. I'm not one for putting up with bullshit. I have no tolerance for it. But I'm almost afraid to ask what John told you about us if we aren't even remotely what you were expecting. He didn't make me out to be some meek little breakable thing, did he?" She turned her glare on John.

"Apart from a warning that you would order us around, he didn't say much. Oh, and some rambling comment about cupcakes."

To his surprise, both Roger and Sue laughed at that. It was Roger who answered. "She can't help it, she likes being in charge. And I swear, John didn't start coming to us for the pants, he was trying to scam cupcakes. We actually have some in our room for you both."

"Actually," Rodney said with a sidelong glance at John, "he's probably wondering if something's wrong with me since I haven't been talking."

John's hand slid over to rest on his thigh. "We were catching up, so I figured you were okay. Besides, most people need some time to re-adjust after meeting Sue." He grinned.

"That seems to be very much the case in this instance," Rodney agreed with a nod.

Sue and Roger both smiled, and she was off and running again. "All right, boys, so what are we doing for your last day here? Miss anything big? What did you still want to see?"

"I think we've seen most everything," Rodney said, glancing at John. "We did need to pick up a few other things before we head back to Colorado, though."

"Oh? What kinds of things. Shopping I can do." She grabbed the check from the waitress as the she walked by, waving off John's attempts to offer money to help pay. "Where to first?"

This time Rodney felt his cheeks flush and John rescued him.

"We had an...incident...earlier this week, and we need to run by the adult store to replace a few things that went missing."

"An incident?" Sue's eyebrow rose as she pinned John with an intense look.

He shrugged, and Rodney could tell he was going for casual. "I have a persistent stalker who has decided I really should leave Rodney, marry her, and make mildly hideous babies with porn star names. When I objected, she slipped into our room and took a few souvenirs while the maid had her back turned."

"Stalker? John," Sue said with a shake of her head and a laugh as she rose to her feet, "you never see them coming, do you? Remember the other girl from a few years ago?"

John cut his eyes over at Rodney, the tips of his ears turning a bit red. "I'm not looking for them! They just sort of happen. At least with Rodney I was the one doing the pursuing."

"Good. It's about time you took the initiative."

As they walked out of the restaurant, John had claimed his hand again. "I just had to wait for the right person to come along."

"And what exactly happened?" Sue asked, shooting a look over her shoulder. "Did Rodney have to come and hit you over the head to get you to notice?"

"Actually it was the other way around. We had worked together for about six months— he's my team scientist and the lead science guru of the base—and he was injured. I sort of made my feelings known after that."

Sue nodded her head approvingly as they walked toward the entrance. "At least you did something," she said. "I was worried for a while after you left the wife that you wouldn't bother getting involved with anyone again. And I have the BMW with me. Do you just want to jump in to go down to the store?"

"Yeah, our rental is a two-seater. Taking one is probably a lot easier. And technically she left me, I just didn't care." John shrugged as they walked out to the valet, waving off one of the kids who knew which car was theirs.

Sue moved to the valet, giving in her ticket, Roger staying with John and Rodney as she waited for the car. "So how long have you been married?" Rodney finally asked, squeezing John's hand as the other man's thumb continued to make comforting circles on the back of his hand.

Roger grinned. "It seems like forever. But in reality, we're coming up on ten years soon. And we had known each other for a few years before that."

"How did you meet?"

"At an industry trade show, believe it or not. I was thinking of starting my business, and I was looking for suppliers and contacts, backers, that sort of thing. She was a rep with one of the companies that makes stitching equipment. We were at some party or other, and got to talking. We chatted off and on over the next year or so every time we ran into one another, until I finally got up the nerve to ask her on a date."

Huh. He hadn't expected that—not with Sue's personality. "You made the first move?"

Roger laughed. "Surprised? Most people are. Especially since back then, even more so than now, I was a pretty shy guy. But she just blew me away, all that vibrant life. Took her by surprise too—she didn't even know I was interested."

A cobalt blue seven-series BMW pulled up and Sue turned, ushering them forward as she stepped up to the front passenger side. Roger took the driver's seat, leaving John and Rodney in the backseat.

"It's just interesting," Rodney commented as the valet closed the door.

Sue turned so she was looking back at them. "What's interesting?"

"How you met."

Sue grinned and bounced a little in her seat. "Roger tell you he asked me out on a date first? Blew me away! I had thought he was pretty cute, but then didn't give it any more thought at the time. And he stuttered through the whole thing. I couldn't say no."

"Yeah, he mentioned that. It surprised me. Knowing how you are now, I expected it would have been the other way around," Rodney commented with a shrug, smiling up at John as the other man's hand landed on the top of his thigh.

John leaned into him, creating warmth all along his side as Sue continued to answer. "Oh, we didn't fall into this type of relationship right away. It was, believe it or not, Roger who had the kink before me. After we had been together for a while, he talked me into trying a little BDSM and the rest, as they say, is history. We both discovered that he really liked giving up that control, and, well, I'm sure you can already tell I like to have full control."

Rodney nodded, ducking his head. "That much is certainly evident."

John had tilted his head, and was pressing light kisses into Rodney's neck—in a weird way it was both comforting and encouraging. Sue grinned again as she watched. "We worked up to what we have now. At first it was just in the bedroom, then we started on toys, and then I discovered the collars. It's been…how many years now since you left the house without one on, Rog?"

He shook his head, glancing at Sue briefly before turning his eyes back to the road and the traffic. "Five years? Maybe longer."

She nodded. "That sounds about right. I can't even imagine you leaving the house without it any more."

"I feel naked without it and she only takes it off when we've had a really big fight. It certainly sets me straight after a few hours," Roger said, making a turn to get away from the traffic of the Strip.

John looked up from where he was still nuzzling Rodney. "I wish I could leave it on him all the time. Unfortunately, once we go back to work, we can't even let people know we're together. At least this one looks like a necklace, so we might be able to get away with it now and then."

"Maybe," Rodney said turning toward John with a rueful smile. He'd gotten used to having the metal around his neck. It was strangely reassuring—just like the ring he continued to play with.

"Maybe?" John raised an eyebrow. "Maybe you'll let me put it on you sometimes at work, or maybe we can get away with it?"

"Maybe we can get away with it…sometimes," Rodney said, leaning forward to press a kiss to John's lips.

John hummed his agreement into Rodney's mouth, deepening the contact briefly before they both remembered they weren't alone. John gave Sue a sheepish grin. "I think that's going to be the hardest part. We've both gotten used to being openly together the last few weeks, and having to pretend we're nothing more than good friends will be tough."

"You'll manage just fine, I think," she said, a knowing look on her face.

John nodded. "We have good incentive to manage."

"Yeah, you like fucking me too much to let the opportunity slide by," Rodney whispered into John's ear, chuckling as the other man choked back his surprise.

Shooting him an amazed look, eyes starting to darken a bit as he shifted in his seat, John's hand found Rodney's thigh again, massaging it lightly. "Evil. I am married to the most evil man EVER."

Rodney shot John a smile before settling back against him, letting John wrap his arms around him. "Certainly makes it fun, though."

Sue, who had been watching, laughed as they pulled into the store parking lot. "Oh yes, you two will do just fine."

Even before Roger parked the car and turned it off, Sue had opened the door, bounding out.

John reached over, tracing the edge of the collar. "Do you want me to take this off before we go in? People here will know what it is, and I can't promise, with it on, that you won't be treated like last time."

"I'd rather leave it on," Rodney said after a minute.

"Okay." John kissed him again before they both got out of the car.

Walking around the car to reach John, Rodney grabbed his hand as they walked in. Sue and Roger had already vanished into the aisles of merchandise.

The display with the crystal plugs was actually near the front, so John grabbed a small one that matched what had been stolen, putting it in the basket he picked up. "All right, what else would you like to look at?"

"How about an extra set?"

John's eyes widened slightly. "An extra set? We can if you want. We can leave them at your apartment along with the spare bondage stuff, so we don't have to try and smuggle stuff in both ways."

"That's what I was thinking," Rodney said, his eyes drifting over the racks.

Nodding, Sheppard put another one of each size in the basket. "Let's wander around and see if anything else catches your eye."

They ended up walking up and down several aisles, simply looking, John's hand in his giving him a little more courage to be curious. Some stuff…yeah, some of that stuff was never going to come anywhere near him.

John tossed a few small things in the basket as they walked—a few extra small locks, batteries, lube. But he seemed content to just let Rodney look for now.

"Do we have the straps for…home? Did we get some the last time?" Rodney asked, turning to John. "I know we've been using the ones at the hotel, but we got a lot of stuff the last time."

"We did. I left them all in the packaging since the bed has a set. But I do have several—some for the apartment, and some to take with us when we go back."

Rodney nodded. "Wanted to make sure we had enough."

John grinned, squeezing his hand. "Got you covered. We also have a few sets of cuffs. In addition to the leather and rubber ones we've been using, I have a set of metal wrist cuffs that match another collar, and a set that were designed for the suspension equipment. And then a second regular set to leave behind."

He snapped his fingers as John's comment reminded him of something they needed. "Waterproof blindfold."

John chuckled, but led him over to a display. He pointed to a leather one. "That's the one we have. Those three over there are all waterproof. Pick the one that looks most comfortable."

"And we should get two," Rodney said, pulling down the three packages and peering at them through the plastic packaging before turning them over to read the back information panel.

"Two? What's with you and sets today?" John moved behind him to read over his shoulder, his free hand resting on Rodney's hip.

"In case we go back to work, I want a set for home. And I just can't tell what the difference is with these."

John's breath was hot against his neck. He pointed to one of blindfolds. "That one then. I like the way the ties clasp in the back. And I like the way you think. I was just thinking of keeping a few basics at the apartment, but we might as well pick up extras of our favorites. No sense doing without on leave."

"I don't know," Rodney said, pulling another package. "This one looks like it might more comfortable, but it's hard to tell."

Standing straight, John took both packages and opened them. "Turn around, let's try them and see which one feels better."

"We can just try them on?" Rodney asked even as he turned around.

"Sure. What do you think the fitting rooms are for? Since neither of us is getting undressed for this, I didn't bother walking back there, but we can try them." He took the first one and tied it around Rodney's head. "How's that?"

"Hmm," Rodney said, turning his head a little. "It's comfortable, but it doesn't block out everything."

John pulled that one off and tied the second on. "How about that?"

"Better," Rodney said with a nod. "I don't get any of the side light the other one had. How's the back clasp?"

"Easy enough." He pulled it off and added it to the basket, grabbing a second one still unopened.

"Is it the one you liked?" Rodney asked, peering into the basket.

"It's the second, the one you thought looked more comfortable. But the clasps aren't all that different. I'm adaptable, and I prefer getting one that blocks everything out."

"Do we need another else waterproof?" Rodney asked, moving down the aisle. "With how you like shower sex, we might need some other stuff. How about vibes?"

With a wide smile, John followed him. "We can get another set of the rubber cuffs. And yes, they do make waterproof vibrators. That could be fun."

"Do they have thigh cuffs for the shower?" Rodney asked, turning to raise an eyebrow at John. "We could get them and some more suction cups."

His lover blinked. "You know, I haven't got the slightest idea. We can check. Anyone ever tell you you're a genius?"

"I tell myself sometimes, just in case I forget," Rodney said, already prowling down the aisle. He'd spotted the suction cups set John had gotten.

Sheppard's unique laugh followed him before the solider himself caught up again, holding out the basket for the extra set, along with several nearby boxes of extra suction cups.

"Ah ha. Thigh cuffs," Rodney said, bending down to grab two sets. He added another pair of wrists cuffs as well.

"The vibrators are that way." John pointed to an aisle a few over from where they were. "Both the regular and waterproof are together."

"Yeah, yeah. In a minute," Rodney said, moving down the aisle they were in, eyes skimming the displays.

John just chuckled and continued to trail behind him.

He finally wandered into the aisle John indicated after a few minutes, pausing before the monstrous display. "Huh. You should probably pick something you like. You're the one using it," Rodney said as one package caught his eye.

"Yeah, but it's your ass I'm sticking it in." John pointed to one of them. "That one has variable speeds and is waterproof."

"Technically, it's yours," Rodney said absently pulling a package off the shelf. "Pick what you want."

He was suddenly pulled hard against John, demanding lips claiming his. "Do you have any idea what you do to me when you say things like that?"

Rodney moaned, feeling John press against him. Once his lover released his lips, he nodded. "I'm getting the picture."

"Love you," John whispered it into Rodney's mouth.

"Love you, too. Did you see this vibe?"

John glanced down at the box he was holding. "OhMiBod? I haven't heard of that one."

"It's an iPod accessory."

John took the box and read the back. "Wow. That could be a lot of fun."

"It could be," Rodney grinned. "Especially with the new iPods. So, one or two of these? And you still need to find the waterproof vibes."

"Mmmm, two. I might want to try that one, too." John reached over and grabbed another to add to Rodney's, and then two models that were waterproof and variable speed. "You realize we're going home with two suitcases filled with nothing but sex toys. I thought things like that only happened in the really good movies."

Rodney chuckled, already moving down the aisle toward another display. "And you have a problem with that?"

"Nono, not complaining at all." John followed along behind him. "Okay, we have extras of our bondage stuff, extra vibrators, what else do we need?"

"Looking."

Roger and Sue wandered over, both of their eyes immediately going to the loaded basket. "Did you say you had already been here once?"

"Yeah and not done yet," Rodney said, veering down another aisle, leaving John with Sue and Roger.

He heard the three of them follow him more slowly, talking. "A lot of this is stuff we already have, but we wanted a second set. That way we can keep some in his apartment where we'll go when we're on leave, and a set to smuggle onto the base."

Rodney continued walking, passing a lot of the bondage stuff by since they had a number of pieces already. But one thing caught his eye. It was an all-leather sleeve with several buckles and d-rings and a mitt of a sort on the end. It would certainly give John a lot of possibilities. "John," he called over his shoulder, "what do you think of this? I’m probably going to have to try it on to get the one that fits right."

John was behind him again, hand slipping around to rest against his stomach. "Hey, cool. I've never seen one like that."

"Like it?"

John sucked on his earlobe for a second before answering. "I'm picturing you wearing those and tied to a chair. You'd be gagged, but not blindfolded so you could watch me as I tease you."

"Okay. Then I need to try it. There are two sizes."

"Okay." John handed their very full basket back to Roger and Sue, who took it with big grins before wandering off to browse a bit more themselves. John didn't actually move away, but instead pulled Rodney close, grinding groin against ass. "Watching you check this stuff out, knowing you're thinking about how you want it in you and on you, is seriously turning me on."

"They said no sex in the store." Rodney glanced over his shoulder, offering John an evil smirk. "But they didn't say anything about outside the store. Think Rodger and Sue will mind?"

John actually started to pant a little. "We have to figure out which of these fit you first, and pay for everything. And then I'm telling them to browse for at least another ten to fifteen minutes."

"Hmm. Might want to pick up another gag," Rodney said, grinding back a little before sliding out of John's arms. "I'll bring the two sizes to the dressing room? I assume you need me to take my shirt off so we get the right size."

Groaning, John leaned against one of the shelves. "You are going to kill me."

"Not if you kill me first," Rodney said, pausing a few steps away. "Coming?"

"I'm trying to get enough control that I can walk through the store without embarrassing myself."

"You're running out of clean clothes, aren't you?"

"Ha. Ha. I've been sending our laundry to the hotel cleaners every few days, so that's not a problem. But yes, I would like to avoid coming in my pants yet again because you did something hot and sexy. Not that you should stop doing the hot and sexy thing. More that at almost forty you would think I had some self-control." Pushing himself off the shelf, John started to follow.

"Not really," Rodney said as John stepped alongside him, his hand moving to the small of Rodney's back. "We act like horny teenagers most of the time, so it's just about right."

John shot him a look out of the corner of his eye. "You're plotting to make me have to find a way to explain the huge wet spot on my pants again, aren't you?"

"No, not really, although it is certainly amusing."

"Amusing, hmm? You still giggle to yourself about the time you had me on my knees trying desperately not to come while you finger-fucked my mouth, don't you?" From the way John's eyes went a little darker, and his breath hitched a little, it was obvious he, at least, still thought about it, although amusing wasn't the tag he had given it.

"I don't giggle," Rodney said as they finally made their way to the back of the store where the fitting rooms were. The same sales girl who had been there the last time they'd been to the store was just stepping out of the fitting room as she saw them. Her eyes slid from Rodney to John, recognition dawning.

John gave her a little wave with his free hand. "I think we forgot a few things last time. Mind if we make use of your fitting room again?"

She smiled, gesturing for them to head inside. "Of course. That's a good choice for an arm-binder. Thick leather and very sturdy. We've gotten some good feedback from our customers. Make sure you purchase several locks, though. And actually, all of our leather products are on sale this week."

Rodney saw John's eyes light up. "Sale huh? We might have to swing back through then. Thanks."

"I'd suggest the leg-binders, too. And some heavy-duty chains. Would you like me to bring the leg-binder over? We have four sizes."

John nodded. "Please. Thanks!" He dragged Rodney into one of the empty dressing rooms, grinning madly. "Strip, wench."

"Wench?"

John chuckled. "I was running with the leather thing. It worked in my head."

Rodney shook his head, rolling his eyes as he tugged off his shirt. The pants and boxers were next until he was standing in the nude, except for the chastity device, collar, and watch. "So, which arm did you want to try first?"

John was just watching him, pushing the heel of his hand hard against his groin. "Fuck you're just... I want to be inside you."

"Sorry," Rodney shrugged apologetically.

John leaned back against the wall, letting his head fall back with a thud. "Twice. I've come twice already today and yet here I am barely under control. You naked is like a Pavlov reaction—it makes me hard and needy and I can taste you in the back of my throat."

"I can put my clothes back on if you want, but that defeats the purpose of trying on this stuff," Rodney said, wanting to comfort John, but knowing any touch would throw off what little concentration he had.

"Come here. I need you to... blow me. Please. I can be quiet, and sales girl won't come in without asking first. Rodney..."

McKay quickly moved forward, dropping to his knees as his hands unbuttoned and unzipped John's pants. Pulling our John's hard and leaking cock through the slit in his boxers, Rodney swallowed him down, using all his skill to bring John to a nearly instant release.

John made a muffled noise that sounded like a sob being swallowed, and came down Rodney's throat before slumping more heavily into the wall. "Love you..."

Licking him clean, Rodney tucked him away, adjusting everything so John was presentable once again. "Better?"

"Yes." John pulled him up to kiss him deeply. "Thank you."

"Welcome," Rodney replied with a smile. "If you get us kicked out or arrested I am so not going to let you live this down."

"I don't think they would arrest you for having sex in a sex store—at least not the first time. And we're spending a lot of money here. I doubt they'll kick us out for one blowjob. And now that I can think straight again, let's try those gloves on you."

"I guess we'll find out," Rodney said, offering John an arm.

John pulled them on him tightening them down then attaching them to a hook on the back wall. "Comfortable?"

"I think they fit okay," Rodney said, tugging at them a little, the various buckles not letting him move at all within the binder.

John ran his hands along them, tugging in places to test the fit. "I think we actually managed to get the right size on the first try."

A knock on the door interrupted them.

John unhooked him before turning to answer it. "Yes?"

"I have two leg-binders for you to try."

Opening the door only enough to grab them, John thanked her and brought them over. "Let's take the gloves off and add them to the 'buy' pile, then try these."

"You don't want to see the whole…look?" Rodney tilted his head, raising an eyebrow.

"I want to savor something for later. If I see you all decked out I'll start thinking about ravishing you again."

Rodney chuckled, offering his arms to John. "Okay."

He quickly unlaced the gloves and motioned for Rodney to lie down on the small cot in the corner for this purpose. "Besides, this way you get to anticipate the way everything will feel on, knowing you're at my mercy."

"I'm at your mercy anyway," Rodney said, adjusting his position on the leg-binders before John zipped it closed and adjusted some of the straps and ties. "The length seems okay."

John walked around him, checking all the straps and the way everything fit. "Very good. Got this one on the first try too. I'll make it tighter when we're actually using it—you won't be able to move."

"You'll have some fun with the multiple zippers, too, I imagine," Rodney said, glancing up at John. "The only bad thing is that you don't have access to my ass."

"So I'll fuck you first, then put you in this for a while before I let you come. That has some potential." John trailed a finger up his chest and started circling a nipple.

"Might want to add a plug or something," Rodney said, shuddering at John's touch.

"I was thinking I could fill you with my come, then use a plug to hold it all inside before I put you in this."

Rodney shifted, the binder not giving him much room to move—even not tightened down into place correctly.

"We'd better get this off you and get you presentable again. The sales girl—not to mention Roger and Sue—are probably starting to wonder what we're up to."

"This is not something you can just slip into, you know," Rodney commented, finally finding his voice once again after John had started unlacing and loosening everything.

"Oh, I know. Once I put it on you when it's just us, it will be staying on for a good long while. This type of thing is made for long bondage sessions. I was thinking on days when we can both get some time off, we go to the room Carson set aside for us, and you spend the whole day in submission and various states of bondage while I indulge myself touching and tasting you as much as I want, at a nice, leisurely pace."

"If we get time off," Rodney said with a scowl, as John got the last buckle undone.

"We will." John pressed their lips together before he started dressing Rodney again. "Not often, granted, but we will find a day every couple of months to just be together, even if we have to keep the radios nearby in case of emergency. And if you think I'm only going to take my time with you when we're on leave, you're wrong. We'll both need the connection and the stress relief a day to just play together will bring us."

Rodney nodded, not sure if John was right but wanting to believe. "Did we need anything else?"

John backed him into the wall, slipping one leg between his. "I was actually thinking we could schedule it—the science and military sectors have to work closely together. We'll tell everyone we have a meeting once a month to go over issues and priorities, and whatever other shit we can think of to make it sound official."

"Alone in a remote part of the city? I doubt Elizabeth would agree."

"They don't have to know where we go. Only that we don't want to be bothered, since we have to do work. Carson will know what we're really doing—I'm willing to bet he'll help cover for us. And we will have the radios if there is an emergency. I need you, Rodney. I need to be close to you."

"And we need to get out of the fitting room before they break the door down."

John licked his way into Rodney's mouth instead, not letting up until Rodney was panting. "Okay. I think I'm ready now."

"Bastard," Rodney whispered when he finally found his breath, John already half-way out of the fitting room, arm and leg binders in hand.

John just chuckled, turning before he completely left and holding out his free hand. "Coming?"

"Not anytime soon," Rodney grumbled, finally pushing away from the wall to follow John.

John's grin got wider as he caught Rodney's hand, the two of them walking out together. "If you got to come right away, you wouldn't get to enjoy the anticipation. And you can lie to me all you want, more often than not, it's you asking for the chastity cage."

"Says the man who just got a blowjob," Rodney muttered as they walked up to where Sue and Roger were waiting.

John bumped their shoulders together. "And a truly spectacular one at that. But tell me, do you really want to come now? Or do you like it better knowing you get to taste me for the rest of the day and know that your body belongs to me and before I let you come, you'll be wild with need?"

Rodney glanced at John before looking away. "You know the answer."

A hand squeezed his, and John leaned in close enough so his whisper wouldn't carry. "And that's the only reason you didn't get a reciprocal blowjob in there. I knew you would enjoy the waiting more."

"I’m guessing they fit adequately," Sue said, her eyes on the two of them.

John kissed Rodney's ear again before straightening up and grinning. "Yup. I think it's safe to say we own two of everything good in this store."

"You'd never get it home if that was the case and I can't picture Rodney in a Playboy bunny costume," Sue said with a teasing smile. "You about ready?"

"Please tell me you don't count those among the 'good' things to buy here. Rodney might look adorable in bunny ears, but I'm pretty sure he a) would never consent to wear them, and b) it wouldn't be sexy so much as freakishly funny."

"It has its place, but most definitely not on Rodney or Roger," Sue said laughing.

"Thank God." John shot a sympathetic look at Roger. "I was about to point out that wearing a collar does not mean you have to check your manhood at the door and consent to wear bunny ears. Halloween is the only possible exception to that rule."

"Absolutely not," Rodney said with a scowl.

John nodded, the serious expression on his face only marred slightly by the twitching lips. "See? Even that's questionable. For Halloween, you have to go sex kitten, all the way."

"I’m not having this conversation," Rodney said, his scowl deepening, already taking several steps away from the group. "I’m going to browse some more. Talk amongst yourselves."

John grabbed his arm, pulling him back up against the warm side of his lover. "Hey, I was just kidding. What else did you want to look at before we go?"

"I don't know. I’m looking. That's the whole point. Feel free to talk to your friends," Rodney said, trying to tug his arm free.

John had dropped their latest finds with the rest of the stuff they were buying, so he brought his free hand up to caress Rodney's jaw line with his thumb. "I'll be here waiting for you then. Anything you see that looks interesting, grab it, okay?"

"Fine," Rodney said moving away, mouth twisted in a frown. He could feel Sue's eyes on him—disapproving of his attitude. He headed down the nearest aisle, not looking at anything, just wanting a little distance.

He slowed down a few minutes later, finally taking the time to browse, although he wasn't in the mood anymore. He was tired. Being nice to people always made him tired.

It was probably ten minutes later when John came around the corner, looking for him, fortunately alone. "Hey. Everything okay? I thought I'd give you some space. Whatever I said to piss you off, I didn't mean it. I was just teasing."

"I’m looking. Isn't that what we're supposed to be doing in stores? We've certainly done plenty of shopping over the past two weeks, so I believed you would recognize the process."

Since he was facing a shelf, John wrapped himself around Rodney's back, hands coming to rest on his hips, chin on his shoulder. "Tell me what's wrong. I know we were having fun a little while ago. What changed?"

"Right now I'd like to shop in peace. Is that too much to ask?"

John sighed softly. "No. Mind if I follow you around though? I was having a good time watching you pick stuff out."

"Whatever you want."

John let him go, but held on to one hand, seemingly content to just follow along where Rodney led.

And McKay walked. Up and down the aisles, looking at various products and items, putting the majority of them back and moving on, handing a few over to John for him to hold. He just needed a few minutes to breathe.

John didn't say anything, seeming to understand that Rodney needed a little space for a few minutes.

"I think I’m done," Rodney said finally, only a few other products added—mostly duplicates of the ones they already had.

"Are you sure? We can keep looking as long as you want."

"I’m sure."

Nodding, John pulled him close enough for a quick brush of lips. "Let's go gather everything up then. I told the sales girl to start ringing up what we had so far, so we can just add these."

"Fine and I’m paying."

John caught his eye. "Is paying that important to you?"

"You've spent too much money on this stuff already and I make more than you do. I'm paying."

After a long moment, John finally nodded. "All right. I'd rather buy them myself, but I don't want to fight with you about it. I was going to add Sue and Roger's stuff to our tab. So when I give the sales girl my card, I'll make sure she only puts that on it."

"I'll get it."

"You don't have to buy sex toys for my friends." He pulled Rodney close, so they were pressed together again. "That's not why I said anything."

"What have I spent money on since we've been back? A little food, two iPods, some DVDs, and two good sets of headphones."

"Okay." Stepping away reluctantly, John linked their hands again. "Let's go take care of it then, and get out of here."

Rodney nodded, letting John lead him back through the store. The sales girl was waiting for them, already having rung up and bagged all of the items John had left behind. Sue and Roger were chatting with her as they waited for John to bring his moody and temperamental partner back.

"I think we're ready to go. Add these to our order." John handed over the last few items and leaned against the register. "And add their stuff to our order as well."

Sue looked at John in surprise, but didn't argue, handing their basket of merchandise to the sales clerk. Rodney dug his wallet out, handing over his credit card once she had a final total.

"We can run back to the hotel and drop this stuff off in the rooms. Then what did you guys have in mind for the day? What do you usually do during the day when you come in for this?"

Roger shot Sue a brief smile before she replied. "A little of this, a little of that. Did you have anything in mind? An afternoon nap might not be a bad thing if we're going out tonight."

John's hand slipped just under the hem of Rodney's shirt, brushing skin as he paid for everything. "I could get behind the nap plan. Although I'm not sure if we're going out tonight. I'll have to let you know."

"That's fine. We'll just need to rest up since we'll be going," Sue said.

They all gathered up the bags and started heading for the car. Once they were all settled, him and John in the back seat again, Rodney found himself pulled close to his lover, a hand reclaiming its place on his thigh.

He shifted and turned, pressing his back against part of John's chest, his hand resting high on John's thigh, thumb in the warm crease.

Sue turned around in her seat again after a moment, looking back at them. "So, did you guys find everything you were looking for?"

Rodney nodded, offering a smile. "I think so. It should be enough to keep us occupied for a while."

Sue returned his smile. "Good to hear. Roger and I found a few new things to try, too. It never ceases to amaze me how many new ways people can come up for things to stick inside other people."

"Or tie them up," Rodney added as John wrapped his arm around his waist.

"Mmm. Or both." John smiled against his neck. "I like the ones that let you do them at the same time."

"Agreed," Roger said with a broad smile. "So, where are we headed? Back to the hotel, somewhere else? We aren't meeting Harry and Peter until about eight, right?"

Sue raised an eyebrow. "I've been wanting to check out the aquarium but we hadn't gotten around to it yet. You two up for it?"

"Fine with me," Rodney said after a minute. That would be okay.

"Works for me, too." John squeezed him lightly.

Roger changed lanes and made a turn at the first cross-street, as they headed toward the aquarium. It didn't take too long to get there, Roger managing to avoid most of the traffic.

They wandered in, Sue paying for their tickets to the two shows before parting to walk through the area with plans to meet for the next show. Sue and Roger were nice enough, but there was just something about the two of them that unsettled him and he hadn't been able to put his finger on it. Maybe that's why he was so pissy.

He and John wandered for a while hand-in-hand. They were staring at a tank of sharks when John finally said something. "You don't like them, do you?"

Rodney shot a look over to John, surprised by his insight for once. He thought about it a beat before he answered. "No," he answered slowly before elaborating. "There's just something about them that is just setting me off and I don't know what it is."

Nodding, John squeezed his hand. "If you figure it out, I'd be interested in hearing it. But it's okay."

"I don't want to ruin your time with them. You know them a lot longer than you know me."

"And I'm not willing to give them up as friends. But I also don't want you to be uncomfortable. Peter and Harry will be at dinner with us too, so you'll have someone else to talk to. And honestly, I don't see Roger and Sue every time I come out to Vegas anyway, so you won't have to spend all that much time with them."

"They made a point of driving all the way from San Francisco. It's not like it's around the corner. They obviously like you and want you to be happy. I can't fault them for that," Rodney said, his eyes on the tank in front of them. "My goal is to be civil."

"I won't ask for more than that."

"I'm sorry. I know you wanted us to hit it off."

John shrugged. "Not everyone can hit it off all the time. I was hoping you would be comfortable enough to talk to Roger, since he can tell you more about what it's like to identify as the sub in a relationship than I can. But you don't, and that's fine."

"We'll see. I promise to be on my best behavior."

John turned them so he was looking Rodney in the eye. "Rodney, I love you. Yes, they are my friends, but when it comes down to it, you're the one I want to be with. I'm not saying go out of your way to be offensive, but I happen to like your sarcasm and wit. Don't feel like you have to sit in a corner and bit your tongue."

"I don't do that well generally."

"I know, but I wanted you to know I'm not asking you to start trying now."

"Hard habit to break and all," Rodney said with an apologetic shrug. "Don't we have to meet them soon?"

John sighed softly, but nodded. "Yeah. We'll catch a couple of the shows—which are supposed to be pretty neat—then head back to the hotel. They're going out to the club tonight, which means they'll need a nap."

"A nap is never a bad thing."

"Not at all. Naked naps are even better." John leered at him.

Rodney offered a half-smile. "Much better." They moved back to the main area, detouring through several of the exhibits before spotting Sue and Roger waiting for them at the entrance of the show. After finding seats near in the middle, Rodney found himself sandwiched between John and Roger, with Sue on John's other side, chatting in his ear.

Roger leaned in a bit, keeping his voice low. "I'm sorry if Sue or I said something to make you uncomfortable. My wife sometimes forgets that not everyone likes to be railroaded."

"Thanks," Rodney said with a nod, John's hand tightening reassuringly around his own. How had the man gotten so perceptive? "It's just a little much to take in at times."

Roger nodded slightly. "You looked a little overwhelmed. The problem is that we both like your lover a whole lot, so she just automatically started treating you the same way she treats all our old friends."

"I'm not one of your old friends."

The other man smiled slightly. "Hence my apology. She didn't mean to drive you off."

"Is that why you get to sit next to me? Trying to make nice?"

"Nope. I get to sit next to you because John can hold his own, and Sue wanted to catch up with him a bit. If I sat on her other side, I wouldn't have had anyone to talk to."

"Uh huh. So, what did you want to talk about?"

"Chocolate." Roger grinned at him. "John mentioned you were a fellow chocoholic. Best I've ever tried was a Brazilian dark cacao bar, but it sounds like you're better traveled than I am."

"The darker the better," Rodney said with a nod. "And I don't get around as much as you think."

Roger laughed. "I rarely leave California any more, and when I do it's to come to Nevada. Even the big fashion trade show is held here in Vegas. And I've found that eighty percent chocolate tends to be the best. Any darker and it starts to get a little too bitter, any lighter, and it's too sweet."

"Why don't you travel more?"

"Time, mostly. My little shop has done well for itself. I still prefer to make everything myself, by hand. I keep a stock of partially-made pieces to help it go a little faster, but as it is, I have enough business to keep my time pretty much full. I suppose I could hire someone to help, or look into a bit more automation, but I would hate to lose the quality. If I'm doing it myself, I know I don't have to worry about it."

"True. I can see how that can be a concern. John evidently likes your stuff."

"He's been having me make pants for him for years now. I've tried a few times to convince him to do a photo shoot as a model for me, since he looks so damn good in them. He always manages to find a reason not to though. For such a good-looking guy, he's pretty shy."

Rodney shrugged. "I guess it depends. He generally tries to be low-key. I sometimes kid him that if he gets any more laid back, he'd be dead or something."

"Does he still do that slouch thing all the time?"

"All the time. I wonder how he stands up sometimes."

"I'm surprised he doesn't have back issues with the way he hunches over like that."

"No. I have those, probably more than enough for the two of us and then some."

"Ouch. Back issues are the worst. Sue struggles with that, and I have to admit, the older I get, the more mine hurts. We took up yoga—she insisted—and while I'll never admit it directly, it has helped with the pain."

"John's trying to convince me that sit-ups and other torturous exercises will help. I'm highly doubtful."

Roger nodded. "I felt the same way. Don't let them know I said it, but I was surprised to find they were right. It doesn't get rid of the problem altogether, but I'm less sore in general now."

"What made you try it?"

"Honestly?" Roger cut his eyes over. "I was resistant. Sue had been on me to try it with her for a while, since she's done yoga for years. It finally took me waking up one morning barely able to move to agree to try it. I agreed to give it a month, and much to my surprise, after about two weeks I started to notice a difference."

"Was that at the same time as the…other stuff, too?"

"Other stuff?"

"Other stuff. The whole relationship dynamic and whatnot," Rodney said, gesturing with his free hand.

"Oh. No, we've had that for a lot of years now. Like we said earlier, it's probably been about five years since I went anywhere without this." He pointed to the collar. "I feel naked without it now. But even before that, we had that sort of relationship. I only agreed to start yoga about a year or so ago."

"Huh."

"I think that's the biggest thing people misunderstand about our type of relationship. It's not about me being her slave, or about her making every decision. Mostly, that aspect of things stays in the bedroom."

"But what if it doesn't"?

"I happen to like letting her take over, and she's the kind of person who just naturally assumes control. So most of the time, I let her make the decisions. But if I disagree or have my own ideas, we argue about it like any other couple."

"Huh," Rodney said, glancing toward the show they were actually supposed to be watching.

Roger patted him on the leg briefly. "You two will have your fights I'm sure. A good relationship is a constant state of compromise. You both give and take, and you both pick your battles. Learn to let the little things go. They aren't worth the aggravation. And sometimes you find an old compromise just doesn't work anymore, so you make a new one. I won't lie to you. It's work. This kind of dynamic doesn't make that go away. But it's worth it in the long run."

"You really think so?"

"Absolutely. The pros far outweigh the cons, and I can't even imagine life without her beside me."

"Have you ever left, or has she?"

"We've had some pretty big fights. Screaming, waving our hands in each others faces, and the like. We've been lucky that's only happen a handful of times in all our years together. More often than not, one of us leaves the house, and after a few hours when we've had a chance to cool down, we'll sit down and work it out. We made a deal in the beginning that we never go to bed angry, even if it means staying up all night until we get over it. That's served us pretty well, and it means nothing ever festers long enough to be a huge problem."

"Who usually gives in?"

"Both of us. We take turns being right, and for the really big ones, we both had to compromise a little."

Rodney glanced over at John and Sue who were still talking quietly and watching the show, before he turned back to Roger. "Do you ever…do you ever feel like you take too much from the relationship, demand too much?"

"Because I'm the sub you mean? I did, back in the beginning. I did some research though, and I talked to other people who had relationships like ours—clubs like the one we're going to tonight are great for meeting other people like us—and learned that as much as I get out of letting go, Sue, and other people who embrace the dominant role, gets it from giving that to me. I don't really understand it, but then, I'm not the dominant type. It's funny, every dom I've ever met seems to understand instinctively what a sub needs and why, but no sub I've met can figure out what the doms get out of it."

"John's tried to explain it, but…" he shook his head.

Roger smiled. "I've stopped trying to figure it out. As long as Sue's happy with our arrangement, I'm happy."

"Have you ever been tempted to stray?"

"No." Roger watched the tank, but it was obvious he wasn't really seeing it. "I love Sue, and while I do occasionally notice a pretty woman walk by, I've no desire to be with anyone else."

"And Sue?"

Roger looked over. "As far as I know she's never strayed—and she doesn't lie very well. We have each other, why would we need to go outside the relationship? Are you worried about yourself wanting someone else? Or John?"

Rodney shrugged, keeping his eyes forward. "You've said it yourself, John could model if he wanted. I'm not like that."

"Do you trust him?"

"We wouldn't be here if I didn't."

"Then don't worry about it. John didn't even cheat when he knew his wife was sleeping with half the base every time he was on assignment. He might get a lot of unwanted attention, but he won't take them up on the offer, not while he's with you."

Rodney sighed, nodding, finally turning his attention to the show which was quickly coming to an end.

John leaned in as it was ending, pressing a kiss to the skin behind his ear. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah," Rodney whispered, leaning into John a little. "How much longer?"

"It's almost over." John rubbed his nose against Rodney again, nuzzling a little before turning his head to watch the end of the presentation.

The show ended, Rodney clapping even though he'd missed the majority of it. They'd planned on staying for the feeding, which hopefully wouldn't be too long. Just holding John's hand wasn't enough right now.

The lights came up, and people milled around a bit waiting for the next part to start. John rubbed the back of his hand with his thumb. "I'm going to go grab a soda. Want anything?"

"You."

John's breath hitched, and his eyes widened slightly. "Not the answer I was expecting. But I can go with that. Why don't we take a walk to the men's room?"

Rodney nodded as John turned back to Sue and Roger who were chatting quietly.

"We'll be back. We're going to use this opportunity to take care of nature's call."

Sue nodded. "Roger's going to grab some water from the concession area. Did you want anything?"

"Yeah, if you wouldn't mind getting a Coke for Rodney and me, I'd appreciate it. We won't be too long."

"We'll save your seats," Sue said, already turning back to her husband.

They went hand-in-hand to a small men's room not far away. Fortunately, there was no one else in there. As soon as the door closed, John was kissing him, pushing him into one of the stalls.

Rodney moaned into the kiss, letting John press him up against the wall. McKay wrapped his arms around him, one hand at the back of John's neck, the other trying to find skin at his waist.

John worked his own hands under Rodney's shirt, nails scraping lightly against his back even as he pressed them closer together. John pulled up from the kiss when they needed to breathe, already panting hard. "What do you need?"

"Just you…I…don't know why, but…I just…"

John slipped to his knees, long fingers making quick work of his buttons. "I want to taste you."

"Key…"

John pulled a small key-ring out of his pocket. "I carry it with me when I've got anything on you." He unlocked the device and immediately started licking and sucking Rodney.

It didn't take long for John's attentions to make him hard, part of his mind yelling to him about having sex in a public restroom. But right now, he didn't care.

John knew his body well, and it wasn't long before he was brought to the edge. A finger slipped behind him, teasing at his entrance, but not pushing in.

"Please…" he whispered, managing to keep his moans and comments barely louder than a whispered breath.

"Come for me." John pulled off long enough to whisper the words, then immediately took him back in, surrounding him with wet heat and strong suction.

And with a sweet release, Rodney did, shuddering as he spilled down John's throat, swallowing the moan that rose to the surface.

John didn't pull completely off until every drop had been licked off. Once that was done, the device was carefully put back on and locked back into place. As he resituated Rodney's boxers and buttoned his pants, John looked up at him through dark eyelashes. "I'd been wanting to do that all day."

Rodney tugged him upward, wrapping his arms around John and pressing his face into the crook between head and shoulder, simply breathing in the smell of his lover, his partner.

John pulled him close, just holding him. "Feel a little better?"

He nodded, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. While the blowjob had been nice—really nice—this was in some ways even better. John was solid, secure, safe. John loved him without question, without reservation and continued to show him day after day with everything he did—every touch, every gesture, every word.

Sheppard had turned his head slightly, and Rodney could feel every exhale against his skin.

"Sorry," he finally whispered, feeling his little universe slide back into place. Maybe this was just a delayed freak-out to yesterday or to the meeting with Ginger or his nerves at knowing John wanted him to like his friends.

"You don't have anything to apologize for."

"We're missing the feeding."

"Are you ready to go back out there, or do you need another minute?"

"I’m better. Thank you," Rodney said, finally lifting his head away from John's shoulder, pressing a light kiss to his lips.

"Anything you need. You know it's yours." Brushing another light kiss across Rodney's lips, John took his hand and they wandered back out of the stall.

Instead of climbing over an entire row of people to go back to their seats, they ended up snagging two seats toward the back of the auditorium, the feeding already in progress. John kept his arm around his shoulders and Rodney shifted so he could lean into it, his hand finally coming to rest on the top of John's thigh, fingers trailing inside. Rodney caught Roger's eye when the man looked around—obviously keeping an eye out for them—and Roger nodded, leaning in to speak to Sue who then glanced around and offered a smile when she spotted them, before turning right back to the show.

John's free hand came to rest in a mirror spot on Rodney's thigh, anchoring him. They stayed that way until the show was over and the house lights came back up, both content to simply be together.

"Roger's going to yell at you for public displays of affection," Rodney said after a moment, already spotting Sue and Roger making their way to the back of the room where they were sitting.

"Don't care." John leaned in to kiss a trail along his neck.

Rodney shivered a little, his eyes closing slightly as he released a contented sigh.

John's lips brushed moved up to tease at his ear, then meandered down his jaw line before they disappeared again. He felt John shift slightly and he opened his eyes, looking up at Roger and Sue who were standing next to them. "Sorry, we figured it would be easier just to sit back here when we saw the show had started. Thanks for the Coke."

"Not a problem. We thought something was wrong," Roger said, handing over the still-capped and sweating bottle.

"Nah. We just didn't want to be the guys everyone mutters about coming in late and stepping on feet as we try to get to our seats."

"You sure everything's okay?" Sue asked, her eyes sliding between them before settling on John.

Standing, John pulled Rodney up behind him, uncapping the bottle and handing it over. He was looking at Rodney as he responded to Sue. "Yeah, we're fine."

Rodney offered a smile and a silent 'thank you' as he took a sip, before handing it back to John.

"Well, unless you wanted to see anything else, we should head back to the hotel," Sue said. "We need to get a little rest before we head out for tonight."

"Sounds good." John took Rodney's hand again as the group started walking back to the car. "I meant to ask you, how decked out are you planning on going tonight? If we decide to come, I don't want to be out of place. It's been a long time since I went to one of those clubs."

"It's very much in scene," Sue said. "I haven't decided what I want Roger wearing yet, but you can be assured that he'll be in leather and bondage. In this club, they take roles very seriously. You'll probably find a little of everything, honestly. The last time they had several subs there in full submission—complete with heavy-duty hoods and restraints, with everything locked down tight. There were some of the harder and heavier stuff in the back, but we didn't go there. That doesn't interest either one of us." She shrugged. "It's really what you decide to make of it, honestly."

John nodded. "So, not much has changed then. I'm not interested in letting anyone else see Rodney in full bondage, but I wanted to make sure that wouldn't be a problem."

"No, it shouldn't be a problem as long as it's plainly obvious who the dom and sub are within the partnership," Sue said as they stepped out into the parking lot. "It's as much a chance for us to show off our partners and also relax in a public atmosphere—or as public as it gets for an invitation-only club."

"Rodney and I will discuss it when we get back. I'll let you know at dinner what we decide to do."

"That's fine. While we'd love for you to come, it's up to you. Whatever you're comfortable with. I know you have the directions I gave you and your name is on the list." She paused as they stepped up next to the car. "There's always other times and invitations. Don't feel pressured to go because we're here. We're just glad that we got the opportunity to see you and spend some time with you."

"Ditto." John grinned at her, then climbed into the back seat, settling Rodney against him again.

"Do you normally drive to Vegas when you come down?" Rodney asked as Roger started the car, cranking up the AC and pulling out of the parking spot.

"It depends. We've flown a few times, but both of us enjoy a nice car trip. It's a chance to see a little of the world other than airports and tourist traps."

"More privacy, too, I imagine."

Roger flashed a smile back. "Well, there is that, too."

Rodney's mouth twitched in a half-smile as they settled into a comfortable silence, the trip back to their hotel uneventful. After leaving the car with the valet and grabbing their bags from the trunk, they parted in the lobby with plans to meet at the restaurant at eight.

Once they were back in the room, John stretched, kicking off his shoes and sprawling on the couch. "So what do you think about tonight? It's up to you, whether or not you feel comfortable going."

"I don't know," he said with a shrug, his shoes and socks finding a place under the coffee table, his shirt, pants, and boxers ending up in a pile on the floor before he settled into John's arms with a sigh.

John hummed appreciatively, shifting so Rodney could get more comfortable. "You don't have to decide yet. If we do go, I will want to put the other steel collar on you, with the matching cuffs. That way people will know you're mine and won't bother you."

"Okay."

Hands started to move over his back, light caresses just enough to let him know John was touching him. "I could stay like this for hours, just holding you, feeling you against me."

"It might be more comfortable in bed," Rodney said after several minutes, his eyes closing. "We need to rest up."

"True. But that would require movement, and I'm pretty damn happy right now."

"I am too, but after long periods of time my back might end up as one big knot. And I don't think you want to show off some reject from Notre Dame."

"I wouldn't let you go too long in pain. Massage is just another excuse to put my hands on you." But John did start to sit up, leading Rodney into the bedroom. He flopped down there instead, settling Rodney between his legs, so they were pressed chest-to-chest.

"Mmm," Rodney hummed, sliding his hands between the mattress and John, his head pillowed on John's chest as Sheppard's hands trailed up and down his back and into the cleft of his ass.

"There's definitely something to be said for lazy, naked naps." John's voice was starting to get sleep-slurred, his body relaxing slowly under Rodney.

"Even if only one of us is naked."

"S'okay. I don't mind that at all."

"I'm glad since I like it like this sometimes."

"It's sexy and hot in ways I can't describe to know you are naked and I'm still completely dressed."

"Mmm. Isn't it though?"

John raised his arm and fiddled with his watch for a minute. "Okay, alarm set to go off at 1900. So we can nap until then, or if we wake up and decide to fool around, that's our hour warning."

"I'm game for whatever you want as long as it involves you," Rodney said, sliding to the side, so he was lying on the bed and half on John.

John shifted them so they were curling into each other, pressing his nose into Rodney's skin. "Right now I think I just want to hold you."

Rodney sighed, moving closer, his eyes already shut, his body blanketed and surrounded by John. And between one breath and the next, he drifted off to sleep safe and content.

***

The insistent beeping of John's watch alarm finally dragged Rodney back from sleep—especially because John's hand was tucked under his shoulder, the beeping right in his ear.

He tried to swat at the sound, but one hand was pinned under John, the other one wrapped around Sheppard's waist, held in place with John's arm.

John muttered and wiggled, finally managing to make the noise stop. "Time to get up already?"

"According to your watch it is."

"Wow. We actually napped." John scooted out from under Rodney and stretched, his back popping in a few places. "I don't know about you, but I actually feel a lot better now."

"Mmm…always feel better after sleeping with you." Rodney offered John a smile, his hand reaching out to rest on Sheppard's chest.

John leaned into him a little. "You know how to make a guy feel loved saying things like that."

"I do love you. I don't say it often, but I do."

John turned and pushed Rodney into the bed, crawling on top of him. He claimed Rodney's mouth, diving in and leaving no corner unexplored.

His moans of pleasure were swallowed by John's mouth as Rodney wrapped his arms around Sheppard, tugging him closer.

John pressed down, the fabric of his clothes rubbing in all the right places against Rodney's body. He turned his mouth to the side of Rodney's neck, not stopping when they had to break for air. He moved down, to the spot where Rodney wore John's mark, mouthing at it. "I want to tie you to the bed, renew this, and bury myself inside you."

"Please…yes…" Rodney panted.

With another fierce kiss, John pushed up, going over to the drawer. This time, however, instead of bringing the leather cuffs they had been using, he brought the steel ones. "I want to try these and see how you like them."

"Okay," Rodney nodded, holding out his hands.

Unlike the leather, the metal was cool against his skin when it was locked on, then locked together. John pulled his wrists above his head, using the straps to secure them. "I'm leaving your legs free because I want you to wrap them around me when I'm inside you."

"Are you…are you going to let me come?"

John palmed Rodney through the chastity cage keeping him from getting an erection. "Yes, but not right away. I'm leaving that on for now, and when it does come off a cock ring will replace it. When I'm ready to come, I'll let you."

Groaning, Rodney nodded in understanding, his eyes locked with John's. He tugged at his bound hands, the metal finally warming to his body. His cock was already aching a little at being restrained, but he loved it. Loved knowing that John would take care of him so completely.

John went back to the toy chest, pulling a few items out, although Rodney couldn't see what from this angle. When his lover returned to his side, he pressed a swift, hard kiss into Rodney's mouth before buckling the gag in place. He then held up the earplugs. "I'm putting these in now. When the cock ring—not the cage—comes off, I want you to come. Understand?"

He nodded again, already starting to feel himself sliding down. As soon as John saw his response he carefully put one of the earplugs in place. Just before the second earplug had gone in, John paused, catching his eye. "I'm not putting the blindfold on you this time. Don't close your eyes. I want you watching me while I touch you, pleasure you. No matter how good it feels, keep them open and on me."

Rodney moaned in response, offering another nod, John's fingers gentle as he added the second earplug, what little sound Rodney could hear reduced to a muffle. It was almost like his other senses immediately started to compensate because every brush of John's hand on his skin ignited every nerve in his body.

John seemed content to pet him for a moment, hand stroking up and down over Rodney's stomach and chest. Then he pulled another small piece of metal from the bed—the nipple clamps. John attached one to each of Rodney's nubs, tightening them just enough to make sure he couldn't forget they were there.

Tugging at the restraints, Rodney could hear himself groan, the sound reverberating through his trembling body as he watched John, saw how he gave his entire attention and concentration to him.

Looking to make sure Rodney's eyes were on him, John began to slowly remove his own clothing. He took his time almost fondling each button before it was slipped out of its hole, slowly revealing the planes of his chest.

God. He so wanted to touch. He felt the tug of the bonds on his wrists as he instinctively moved to reach toward his lover, his hands stopping nearly immediately, less than an inch off the bed. He whimpered in frustration, but couldn't take his eyes off John as he gave him a strip tease.

By the time John was naked, the chastity device was starting to get painful. His body wanted to respond, wanted to react, but it was being prevented. John seemed to understand that, watching Rodney squirm on the bed for a moment before running his hand down, cupping the device and hefting it a few times. He pushed the tip of a finger between the slats, caressing Rodney's skin.

Rodney's eyes closed as he felt John's hand on him, only to jump in surprise when John tugged at his balls, forcing his eyes open once again.

"Keep them open." John said it slow enough that Rodney was able to read his lips.

Whimpering again, Rodney nodded, squirming a little, trapped between his bound hands and John's grip on his cock.

Producing the key to the cage, John pulled it off carefully, smiling slightly when Rodney started getting hard even before it was completely off. As soon as it was gone, the cock ring was slipped on, keeping him hard and making sure John could play with him, but he wouldn't be allowed release until his lover was done.

And play he did, leaning down to swallow him, licking and kissing the tip, running his teeth along the underside, teasing him until he was painfully hard and panting through the gag.

It was amazingly erotic to watch his own cock receiving such attention. John was being careful to position himself so Rodney had a perfect view of exactly what was being done to him.

Finally, John sat back on his heels, his eyes raking over Rodney's body before finally settling on his neck. He slowly eased himself down, covering Rodney completely, holding him down. John started slowly, licking and nipping at the skin of his neck just above the collar before moving down to his usual spot, taking up residence there with tongue and lips and teeth.

John kept up the pain/pleasure until Rodney could barely keep his eyes open, and he knew he was moaning. When Sheppard sat up, he traced the new mark over and over, pushing on it randomly to send twinges of pleasure that went straight down to Rodney's cock. It was made more intense by John's eyes holding his, knowing John was seeing every little tremor, every spike of need that went through Rodney's body.

He wanted…needed John to fuck him, to sink inside and claim him. He wanted to feel it later tonight, knowing exactly what John had done.

Moving back down Rodney's body, John never broke eye contact. His hands skimmed each nipple, sending little flares of sensation rocketing through Rodney's body before continuing on. Encouraging Rodney to put his feet flat on the bed, John teased a finger back until he found Rodney's entrance. But instead of pushing inside, he dragged the tip across it over and over again.

Rodney knew he was keening, could feel the vibrations in his body. He wanted to push down against John's finger, but he had no leverage. Restrained as he was, he couldn't even shimmy down to get more contact.

He watched John watch him fall apart, until his world narrowed down to a pair of hazel eyes and the building need. He didn't even notice John slick up the finger until it was pushed just inside him, still teasing, still not giving him the fullness he was craving.

He could feel a bead of sweat slid down the side of his face, his moaning and whimpering nearly constant as John pushed him higher and higher.

With his free hand, John reached up and started lightly flicking at Rodney's nipples, doing it in time to the barely there in and out of the finger inside Rodney.

Rodney bucked against the dual sensations, his entire body shuddering and trembling as he panted and sobbed.

Both of John's hands disappeared, and he waited for Rodney to refocus on him before sitting up on his knees and slowly slicking himself up. Rodney could see the pre-come already glistening at the tip.

He wanted to yell, wanted to demand that John hurry, but Sheppard made him wait, made him watch as he stroked himself, his hand moving easily on his slicked cock. It only made Rodney want it more. He wanted to feel John inside of him, filling him, taking him, claiming him.

Once he was finally ready, John pulled Rodney's legs up, encouraging him to wrap them around John's waist. Rodney felt the blunt tip of a cock pressing against him, but once again John held his body rigid enough that Rodney couldn't pull him in, pull him closer.

Rodney forced himself to relax. It was hard with his eyes open, but he felt his body obeying, sinking a little more into the mattress as he waited for John.

With a slight nod that sent beads of sweat running down the sides of John's face, he moved, pushing in slowly. Rodney could see his chest heaving as he fought to keep it slow, controlled.

Groaning around the gag, he felt his ass stretch to accommodate John, needing to feel the burn.

With Rodney's legs around him, John gave him a few seconds to adjust. Then, after several short, easy thrusts to adjust the angle, he picked up the pace. He slowly pulled almost all the way out on each thrust, then came back hard and fast tagging Rodney's prostate every time.

His body shook and trembled with every thrust, the sensations slowly beginning to overwhelm him.

With a display of coordination that under other circumstances would have had Rodney making impressed comments, John's hand found Rodney's dick. He stroked it in time to his thrusts a few times, making sure Rodney was watching. When it was all starting to become too much, John fondled the cock ring, then slowly pulled it off.

As soon as it was off, Rodney was coming hard—groaning loudly around the gag as he clenched down on John and the pleasure rolled over his body. He could feel the warmth deep inside and he knew John had come as well, filling him, claiming him. Rodney slumped against the mattress when the shudders trailed off, his head lolling to the side as he tried to catch his breath. John collapsed on top of him several moments later, covering him completely.

Limp fingers curled around his jaw turning his head. When he did, sated hazel eyes locked onto his. John gave him a half-smile and rubbed at the spot on Rodney's jaw where his thumb was still resting.

They stayed like that—locked eye-to-eye, cock still pressed deep inside Rodney, a single thumb rubbing against his jaw—for several minutes, the rise and fall of their chests and the slow blink of their eyes their only real movement.

He felt John's hum of contentment through his body just before his lover pushed himself up slightly. The clamps on Rodney's nipples were carefully removed and set aside. John started to push himself up on his elbows, giving Rodney a little warning that he was going to pull out and roll off.

Letting his legs drop to the bed, Rodney watched John as he slowly pulled out leaving behind a pleasantly sore sensation.

John stretched, the individual muscles shifting and falling into place. He offered a crooked grin to Rodney and then reached over to pull out the earplugs. He didn't touch the gag.

Sound came back as soon as John pulled the earplugs free, the sound of the air conditioning and the noises of the hotel loud after their absence.

John ran a hand down his chest, trailing one finger through the come streaking him. "I'm going to get something to clean you up with. I'll be right back."

Rodney moaned, trying to follow John's hand as he moved to get off the bed.

Pausing, John looked back at him, his grin melting into a soft, affectionate smile. "I won't be long. Just a few seconds to get a warm washcloth."

Nonono. He wanted John, needed to feel him. He widened his eyes, tugging at his restraints.

John turned back around on the bed, hand coming to rest against his cheek. "Rodney? Buddy? I promise, I'm not going anywhere. You'll be more comfortable if I clean you up though."

He shook his head from side to side, holding John's gaze.

John held his gaze for a heartbeat and then grabbed one of the pillows, stripping it of its case. He used that to wipe away the bulk of the mess on Rodney's chest, tossing it on the floor when he was done. Then he fitted his front against Rodney's side, propped up on an elbow so he could see. "Okay?"

Rodney nodded, humming in contentment, shifting his body a smidge to get a little closer to John.

John's free hand was idly petting him, running along his chest, stomach, along his arms, through his hair.

His eyes slowly closed as he relaxed once again, humming and making happy, contented noises as John touched him, stroked him.

John let him drift, hand never stilling. Other than the ambient sounds in the room, it was quiet.

Rodney exhaled again, completely content to stay exactly where he was.

"Rodney?" John's voice was quiet, but it cut into the silence. "We need to start moving soon."

He turned his head, lazily opening his eyes to look at John.

"We're going to have to shower. I'm going to unhook you now, and we're going into the bathroom. Those cuffs are steel, so they don't need to come off, but the gag is leather, so it will."

A few beats passed before he nodded his understanding.

Sitting up carefully, John left one hand in the center of Rodney's chest while the other unhooked him.

Rodney left his hands exactly where John put them—still over his head—as he moved to take the gag off, tilting his head to the side so he could get at the buckle in the back. John tugged it free a moment later, Rodney's jaw a little sore from being held open so long, but it was a good kind of sore, just like his ass.

"Hey."

He offered John a small smile. "Hi," he whispered.

"Ready to go get cleaned up?"

"I guess."

"You have to be feeling sticky."

"I feel good. Relaxed. Fucked."

John huffed a laugh, pulling Rodney into a sitting position. "That's how I wanted you to feel."

"Hmm. Then it worked."

John slid off the bed, holding out a hand. "You'll feel even more relaxed if you let me clean you up."

"You think I won’t let you?"

"You wouldn't let me earlier." They walked hand-in-hand to the bathroom.

"Needed you."

"I'm yours." John started the shower, pulling Rodney in behind him.

Rodney wrapped his arms around John, pulling him close as they stood under the water, desperate for contact.

John wrapped his own arms around Rodney, letting his hands rest in the small of his back. "Love you."

"God…need you, love you so much," Rodney whispered into skin.

"I'm here. Whatever you need...all you have to do is name it."

"Just you."

"You don't have to ask for that."

"That's all I need." The words were whispered into John's skin as he pulled them even more tightly together.

John pressed soft kisses into the side of Rodney's head, just holding him, being there for him.

He'd gone from not needing anyone to desperately wanting someone, needing someone…needing John nearly as much as food. He couldn't imagine a day without John at his side, couldn't fathom it happening. And the thought of him dying…God…it just tore a little piece of him apart. He would do anything to keep him alive, anything at all—even if it cost him his life or his sanity or anything he had. He'd give it willingly, eagerly. He could feel his body trembling a little at the enormity of his revelation.

"Rodney?" He heard the concern, the love, in John's voice.

He shook his head, clutching at John a little tighter.

"You need to tell me what's wrong."

"Nothing," he finally whispered.

"You're shaking."

"I know."

John removed a hand from Rodney's back to tip his face. "I'm here, Rodney. I'm not going anywhere."

"Neither am I. Ever."

The smile that spread across John's face was innocent and pure in a way Sheppard just normally wasn't. It took Rodney's breath away a little to realize he was the one who put that expression on the man's face. "Looks like we're stuck with each other then."

"It's like…it's like…I feel like I can't live without feeling your touch, knowing you're safe and with me…" Rodney broke off, knowing he was babbling.

Leaning down, John pressed soft kisses into the corners of Rodney's mouth. "I feel the same way."

Rodney turned, catching John's mouth in a deep kiss, the other man finally walking him backwards until he was pressed against the wall.

John worked a leg between his, pressing them closer together and pinning him more firmly against the wall. "Yours, Rodney. And you're mine. We're a set now, and nothing is going to change that."

Holding John's eyes, he nodded once, hands clutching at Sheppard's waist.

John let go with one hand, reaching back to snag a washcloth and the soap without budging from where he was pushed against Rodney. Leaning back slightly, he started to clean the lingering stickiness off Rodney's chest.

Closing his eyes, he slumped against the wall, letting John move him, touch him, do whatever he wanted. It was right—John's right—and this is something Rodney wanted.

When they were both taken care of—John making sure there was always skin on skin contact—he led Rodney out of the stall, drying him off before walking him into the bedroom. He touched the steel cuffs. "I need to take these off so I can get you dressed for dinner."

"I know." Rodney tilted his head, looking at John, drinking in his long, lean frame. "We can put them back on after dinner. We have to come and change anyway, right?"

John froze, looking up slowly. "You want to go?"

"I thought I'd said as much before."

"I wasn't sure." John stepped into his personal space and kissed him hard. "You'll enjoy it."

"I want to try it for you."

"If you're too uncomfortable, we'll leave. I was planning on taking our own car if we went, so we're free to go without worrying about putting someone else out."

"Good plan."

John let his hands drift down Rodney's arms to his wrists, pulling both up and out in front of his body. "I need to unlock these. Don't move."

"Or what? You'll tie me to the bed and ravish me?" Rodney raised an eyebrow.

"That's for later, either way." John leered at him.

"I hope so," he replied with an answering smirk as John moved to grab the key, unlocking the cuffs and setting them on the dresser.

John considered him for a moment, and then pulled out his pair of black jeans and the bright blue shirt that John said made his eyes irresistible. John dressed him slowly, with the care and gentleness Rodney had come to expect in this surprisingly comforting ritual.

"No chastity device tonight?" Rodney teased as John secured the last button and stepped back.

"No. I might put one on you later before we leave, but you've been confined in it for the better part of the week. I figured I'd give you one nice meal without it." John gave him a lopsided smile, eyes practically devouring him.

"Feels strange without it," Rodney admitted with a smile as he moved to the dresser, grabbing his watch and digging out a pair of socks. "And you might consider putting on clothes since we have two minutes until we're late."

Laughing quietly, John pulled out his own black jeans and one of the tight, black shirts that highlighted just how well-formed his lover really was. He ran a hand through his hair a few times, shaking it to get rid of some of the excess moisture still clinging to the strands.

"You're beautiful and we're officially late," Rodney said, tugging at John's hand.

John curled his fingers into Rodney's and let himself be pulled out of the bedroom. They both got their shoes on quickly and headed out to the lobby. "I'm not beautiful. Men are supposed to be handsome. Beautiful calls up images of Disney princesses."

"And your point?" Rodney asked, raising an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth twitching up.

John raised an eyebrow. "I am not breaking into song about how spectacular the moon looks tonight."

"Good. I have to remember to upload some show tunes to your iPod when we get home," Rodney said as they stepped into the elevator.

"If you do, I will make sure there is nothing but Johnny Cash on yours," John mock-growled at him.

"Well see about that," Rodney said, leaning forward to press a kiss against John's lips just before the doors opened on the ground floor. They weaved their way through the casino to the restaurant, Sue, Roger, Harry, and Peter already there and waiting semi-patiently.

Grinning, John waved to them as they got closer, catching their attention. "Miss us?"

Harry answered, shaking his head. "From the flush on your cheeks we know what you've been doing. For that, we would have only waited so long."

John rolled his eyes. "For your information, we were showering. Hot water will turn you a bit pink you know."

"It doesn't matter," Peter said, patting John on the back as he flashed Rodney a warm smile. "You're here now and I'm starved."

John grinned and they all went into the restaurant, the group chatting, everyone making the little effort to make sure Rodney didn't get frozen out of this small group of old friends.

With John at one side and Harry at his other, Rodney was okay. It was good to let the conversation flow around him. It gave him the chance to watch everyone—watch John—and see how they all interacted. People fascinated him in a way that wasn't normal. Maybe it was because he didn't understand them, understand why they did things. Nothing ever seemed…logical when it involved people. Numbers and facts and figures were a whole lot neater, cleaner, and predictable.

But John, John was different.

John had an easy charm that he used even here, with his friends. It was much more relaxed, yes, but none of them had ever seen—or would ever see—John when he let all the masks down. Rodney was the only one who was lucky enough for that sight. Sheppard glanced over at one point in the middle of dinner, making slightly pornographic faces over the pasta. He held out a forkful for Rodney. "You have to try this."

Rodney opened his mouth, letting John slide the forkful in and he swore he heard Harry choke beside him.

John hadn't noticed. After making sure Rodney liked the pasta as much as he did, he went back to eating with obvious enjoyment.

Harry patted Rodney's leg under the table, offering a knowing smile that McKay returned in kind.

It wasn't until they were headed back to the room after dinner that Rodney even thought about the rest of the night, a small thrill running through him as he realized just what they were going to do.

When they got into the bedroom—they were meeting Roger and Sue back in the lobby in a half-hour—John led him into the bedroom and stripped him again, stepping back to look. "I think you'll enjoy this more if I bring you down a little bit first, get you into headspace before we leave. I don't want you to talk. I'm going to change out your collar and put on the rest of the gear you'll be wearing under your clothes. Don't move unless I tell you to."

"John?"

"Yes?"

"However you want me is fine with me."

John nodded once. He removed Rodney's collar for the first time since it had first gone on so many days ago. He didn't immediately put the other one on, turning to the drawer with all of their toys.

Rodney took a breath, closing his eyes for a moment. Opening up his stance a little, he clasped his hands in the small of his back and raised his head, opening his eyes so he could watch John.

When John turned around, he had the metal cuffs from earlier, along with the matching collar. The collar went on first, bigger and tighter than the necklace he had been wearing.

John clasped it at the back of his neck, the lock clicking as it snapped into place. The cuffs followed next, John securing each before adding the padlocks. He left his hands otherwise unbound, hanging at his sides. Rodney left them there.

Next to go on him was the prisoner belt. The cock ring fit snugly against the base of his dick, ensuring that even if John played later, he wouldn't come from it. The plug in the back was smeared with lube and then strapped into place. It was inflatable, and John made it big enough to ensure Rodney could walk, but he wouldn't forget it was there.

He'd moaned when it had gone in and John had inflated it, stretching him once again. God…he loved being filled like this.

The two smallest clamps, like small tweezers, were attached to his nipples. The pressure was barely there, so he knew John meant for him to wear them all night.

And with each piece, with everything that John added, Rodney felt himself slipping down, inch by inch. Yes, he could do this.

The black leather ankle cuffs were the last pieces of actual bondage gear to go on him, fitting tight against his skin. The tight black leather pants went on next. John hadn't put boxers on him, but the material was soft inside, almost like a caress against his body. It hugged his body, revealing the curve of his dick, riding up just enough to push the plug more firmly against his entrance.

Once John buttoned and zipped him up, he stood back, his eyes drifting over Rodney's body, face showing his appreciation. Tilting his head, Rodney lifted an eyebrow in question.

John stepped forward again and palmed Rodney through his pants, making him harden a little, before stepping back to admire again. "Beautiful."

Keeping his head up, Rodney felt the blush highlight his cheeks, but for once he didn't look away.

John pulled the tight, see-through shirt he had bought for Rodney out of the drawer. It went on carefully, brushing the clamps and pressing them against his body a little more. It wasn't painful, but every time he moved he would feel them.

He wasn't sure what he felt like, but John was letting him fly, just a little.

Telling Rodney to stay there, John stripped his own dinner clothes off and pulled on his leather pants, along with the shirt that made Rodney's fingers itch to play with his nipples.

He dressed quickly, the pants hugging John in all the right places, the shirt skimming the top of the pants, clearly showing John's nipples and the rings. God…he was so beautiful, so fucking perfect.

John pulled a slim, short black leash out of the drawer. "When we get there, at least at first, I'm going to put this on you. I want to make sure everyone knows who you belong to—otherwise you look too fucking hot for people not to want to try and pick you up."

Rodney nodded his understanding.

John picked up the blindfold, but instead of putting it on Rodney, he folded it carefully and put it in his pocket. "I don't plan to use that. However, if you start to struggle to stay in headspace, but you aren't ready to leave, I will."

He nodded again, holding John's eyes.

"We're going to use the side entrance that doesn't require us going through the lobby, and we'll be returning the same way. The valets have already been notified to bring the car around."

Another nod of understanding and Rodney waited. This was John's time.

Holding out a hand, John pulled him close, kissing him hard. "Let's go."

Rodney let John lead him out of the suite and into the elevator, descending to the ground floor. Sue and Roger were waiting for them—Roger in leather from the collar and cuffs to his pants and vest, a ball-gag hanging from Sue's hands.

John had linked his hands through Rodney's when they stepped out through the elevator, pulling him close. "Are we ready? We're taking our own car, since I don't know that we'll stay the whole night. This way you guys don't have to cut your evening short if we do decide to head home."

Sue nodded, her eyes traveling up and down Rodney's body. "Good idea, John. And now I know why you keep him to yourself."

John looked at Rodney, a happy, possessive smile on his face. "I told you the pants look amazing on him."

"It's the whole package," Sue commented, walking around him. "I'm surprised no one found him before you did. That ass is magnificent."

"I got very, very lucky. But he's mine now, and I don't plan to share him." There was a note of pride in John's voice. Rodney realized his lover really did consider himself the lucky one in the relationship, as odd as that seemed.

"There they are!"

That was one voice Rodney would not forget anytime soon.

John turned and shook his head. "Peter, I thought you and Harry didn't visit this type of club."

"We don't," Harry said with a smile as they walked toward them, "but we had to see you off. And Rodney, you look gorgeous. Sub is a good look for you."

Rodney offered a smile, but didn't comment, remembering John's order from earlier. He wasn't going to go against it until John said he could.

John rubbed the inside of his wrist to get his attention, giving him a slight nod, giving him permission to talk if he wanted to, before turning to their friends. "He's taken Harry, so you can look, but no touching."

Harry laughed, holding his hands up. "Just looking, John, just looking. As beautiful as he is, Rodney's not my type."

"No offense to you, but how can he not be your type? I don't share, but look at him. He's stunning." John smiled at him, thumb still rubbing comforting circles against his wrist.

"I for one am glad we managed to catch you before you headed off," Peter said with a smile. "Try to enjoy yourselves tonight. You too, Rodney."

He offered Gaines a smile. "I will," Rodney said simply.

"We fly out tomorrow afternoon, so we probably won't see you again this trip. Don't forget to email me, and I'll send you pictures if I can get them cleared by security."

"Make sure they're good ones," Harry teased.

"Hmph. You don't get to see the really good ones. Sorry. I'm saving those for myself." John flashed him a grin. "The ones you're likely to get will be of our team in the middle of nowhere waving at the camera. You'll probably get tired of them after a while."

"As long as it shows your sorry mug, we'll be fine. Safe trip home and come back to see us." Peter grabbed John in a bear hug before turning on Rodney, Harry following a step behind. Since Sue and Roger were staying a few more days, they made plans to meet up again and then they were gone just as quickly as they arrived.

"All right, we'll meet you guys there then." Hand in hand, John and Rodney went outside. "I think I'm going to miss this car. Do you think I can convince them to ship one to me on-base?"

"No roads," Rodney said simply, letting John slide him into the passenger seat, closing the door behind him. He dropped into the driver's side a moment later.

"True." John caressed the steering wheel. "When we retire, this is the second thing I buy after the plane."

John pulled out, headed to "The House" as he'd called it, the invitation-only BDSM club that John seemed to know pretty well. "About tonight…"

"Yes?" John glanced over when Rodney just trailed off.

"Anything I should know? Dos, don'ts?"

John nodded slightly. "It's a fairly relaxed atmosphere. I've only been twice, and both times I was single, so this will be a bit different for me, too. Basically, once we establish that both of us are taken, and what our roles are, we shouldn't have any issues. You will see the full gamut of BDSM though. Everything from people like us and Sue and Roger, who enjoy the play but don't go for the humiliation and heavy public bondage, to those who do enjoy those things. That's partially why I wanted us to do this—I want you to understand the difference between what we do and what the extremes are."

"Okay. What do you expect of me?"

"Stay close to me unless I tell you otherwise. As I said, when we first get there I'll put the leash on, but that's more to make sure everyone knows we're together, and you're mine. After we find a table and get settled a little, I'll take it off. If I give you an order, don't argue with me. There are a few rooms where people can...show off and get off. I don't plan to make use of them, but if you want to go look, let me know and I'll go with you. If, for any reason, we separate—say I go to get us drinks at the bar—stay with Roger. They do these clubs as often as they can, since they enjoy being able to indulge in public occasionally. If you're in doubt about what to do, watch him for clues if I'm not there to direct you."

"Follow orders. Stay with you. Watch Roger for clues. Stay with Sue and Roger if you leave." He nodded. "Okay. What else?"

"I want to find your sweet spot, for lack of a better term. My goal is going to be to help you get to the edges of headspace and stay there. I don't want you falling too far, since we are in public and I don't think you're ready for that yet. But I also don't want you to come up too far once we're there, since the whole point of this is to let you experience the sub side of the force."

Rodney chuckled. "Didn't think the Force had a sub side." He sobered for a moment. "I trust your lead, John. We either do this or not. I don't want half-way."

Reaching over, John took his hand. "Good. I think you will enjoy it if we can get you into the right frame of mind. Just remember it isn't a test or anything. It's supposed to be fun, so if you're really not happy, just tell me, okay?" He felt John's thumb run over the catch on the cuff that locked his wrists together. "I think I'll hook these together too, at least at first, to help you relax and let go. Most of the tables have straps and hooks, so depending on where we end up, I might attach one of those. I plan to play that a little by ear."

"As long as you don't leave my side," Rodney said with a nod. "I trust you. It's…others I don't."

"Trust me, I wouldn't leave you in that position. You're mine. Just keep that in your head. People will look at you—you're too fucking gorgeous for them not to—but remember that you're mine, and no one will touch you or even talk to you without my permission. Once the staff sees that we aren't hard-core, they'll loosen up a little, but the rule of thumb for most people is to be polite and ask first so as not to offend anyone."

"Okay. How much longer until we get there?"

"We're nearly there. It's actually a converted house, as opposed to a traditional club. It's huge, with a ton of rooms, but that just lends to the intimacy of the whole thing. The smaller the rooms, generally, the more kinky it gets. We'll be spending most, if not all, of our time in what would have been the kitchen/dining area. It's a nice night, so if Sue and Roger don't mind, I was actually thinking about getting us a table out by the pool."

"Whatever you want. This is your night."

John shook his head. "Actually, it's yours. It's always about you Rodney, even when I push you to try something new." He pulled into a small parking lot, and Rodney could see Sue and Roger getting out of a nearby car.

John pulled into a parking spot a moment later and Rodney leaned over and offered a kiss. "No, John. Tonight is for you. It's my gift."

John's hand came up to curl around his head. "Love you."

"Love you, too. Time to go, sir?"

Humming, John nodded, getting out of the car and coming around to collect Rodney. He snapped the slim black leash in place, winding it around his fist once. "Take a deep breath and relax. Let go, and trust me to take care of you."

Rodney closed his eyes, taking a breath, his stomach a flutter of nerves, his hands clenching at his sides. No pressure.

John leaned in, his breath skating across Rodney's ear. "Just relax. I'm right here, and I won't let anything happen. Think about what it feels like when you're tied to the bed and I'm touching you, when we're first getting started, before it gets desperate."

Rodney moaned. "Feels so good."

"That's what I'm going to do to you later, when we leave here. I'm going to peel you out of these clothes a layer at a time and touch you all over."

He leaned forward, putting his head on John's shoulder. Taking several deep breaths he felt his body slowly relaxing.

"So good, Rodney. You're so perfect." John murmured the endearments softly, a hand coming up to rub Rodney's lower back until all the tension had drained out of him. When he straightened a little, John kissed the corner of his mouth before attaching the leash and leading him over to where Sue and Roger were waiting to go in.

Roger was similarly leashed, but was also gagged and bound, looking for all intents and purposes completely relaxed. Rodney's eyes lingered on Roger's wrists, how they crossed in the small of his back.

John caught the look, leaning in to Rodney to whisper in his ear again. "Put your hands in back of you." When Rodney complied, John locked the cuffs together.

Turning his head he offered John a grateful smile, opening his mouth when John dove in for a kiss.

John swept the inside of his mouth with his tongue before pulling back. "Ready?"

Rodney nodded once.

They walked in behind Sue and Roger, and Rodney noted Sue was wearing a tight, short black leather dress that hugged her curves. John, apparently, seemed to attract pretty people to be friends with.

And John had been right. "The House" was most certainly a house. A pretty modern one, too, with high ceilings, a second floor, and a very odd decorating style—if you called Gothic Modern a style.

And as strange as it felt to be like this in public, as soon as they stepped inside Rodney no longer felt out of place. Most were dressed in leather, rubber, or latex and in various stages of bondage and submission. One sub was sitting on the floor, chained in place while her partner—master? owner? dom?—held a conversation with someone else, naked except for a single silver collar and leash around her neck.

Rodney felt his eyes widen as they moved through the main room, wanting to look but feeling like he was violating some code or rule.

As they moved to the back of the house—the kitchen had been converted to a bar area—quite a few people hailed Sue. She stopped a few times to talk to someone, introducing John and Rodney. He noticed that it was always a dom or top who stopped them. The person with them never said much, although one girl caught Rodney's eye and waggled her eyebrows nodding at John. She mouthed 'nice catch!' to him.

Rodney nodded, but dropped his eyes, feeling the flush on his face.

He heard her giggle quietly. They found a table right next to the pool, and John got him settled comfortably, then flagged down a waitress to order them a Coke. "We might split a drink in a bit, but I have no desire to spend another morning hung over."

God, no. That was just…bad. He sat back, the large couches and chairs very odd in the middle of a backyard by a pool. But who was he to argue? They were comfortable and they even had connection points where a dom could tie down a sub if they wanted to. Huh.

Now that they were settled, he let himself look around a little. He had expected it to be all doms showing off their subs. But from the way the subs were acting, it worked both ways. The giggly girl wasn't the only one to catch his eye and either nod or smile.

It was…weird to see so many people sharing such a personal kink in public, but at the same time, listening to someone in the booth a few tables over getting a blowjob—or something—was very arousing.

John sprawled next to him, all lean lines and lazy grace. His hand slipped between Rodney's thighs, just resting there for now. "So what do you think so far?"

"It's…interesting," Rodney said in a whisper.

John's lips found their way to his neck, tongue tracing the lines of the collar. "You are, by far, the hottest person here."

Rodney moaned. "You're biased."

"So?"

"Just saying." He paused for a moment, his eyes sliding to a couple by the poolside one step away from fucking. "How do they view sex here?"

"I think it's safe to say anything goes. As long as it's consensual, you can do whatever you want. There are a few people on staff that lurk around to make sure no one's being forced."

"So you could tie me to the couch and have your wicked way with me?"

John hummed. "Yes. I could tie you to the couch and open your fly. With the cock ring on, I could suck you for hours and you wouldn't be able to come. You would just make those sexy noises as you spiraled higher and higher."

"God," Rodney groaned as John palmed him though his pants, his cock apparently liking the idea.

Reaching behind Rodney, John found one of the hooks. Before he really realized what his lover was doing, Rodney found that John had clipped his hands so he was reclining slightly, then had spread his legs a little and attached them to the furniture as well. His hand came to rest against Rodney's groin, going back to stroking. "I like you like this. All spread out and wanton."

Turning his head to face John, he leaned up as far as he could, managing to press a kiss to John's lips. Sheppard followed Rodney back down, deepening the kiss as he continued to stroke and press his hand against Rodney's cock. Moaning into the kiss, Rodney felt his eyes close as he gave himself up to the sensation.

He felt John slip the button on his pants, sliding his hand inside to stroke Rodney directly. With no boxers, there was nothing in the way of the teasing. John continued to kiss him breathless while he fondled.

And Rodney felt his cock harden more as soon as John's hand touched it directly and he shifted, bucking up into the touch as much as he could, groaning appreciatively. He could feel eyes on him, but right now he didn't care.

John hummed his approval into Rodney's mouth before easing up on both his kisses and his touch. When he pulled away, his hand was still on Rodney, but it was no longer moving. "God, you look hot like this. Debauched, sexy, so fucking hot..."

Rodney leaned up, catching John's mouth again. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Sue and Roger watching them intently, Sue nodding in approval.

John's kisses were like a drug, leaving him feeling loose and relaxed. Although his pants were left open, John moved his hand away from Rodney's groin moving up his chest, to rub lightly at the clamps on his nipples. John shifted so he could rest his head against Rodney while he played and look out at the rest of the crowd. "I've been propositioned three times already from people who want to have foursomes—they want to be able to touch you. I turned them down, since I don't share."

He turned his head toward John, offering lazy smile. "No sharing."

John smiled softly. "Nope." Sue cleared her throat slightly, so John looked up.

"You sure you haven't done this before?"

"Me?" John was absently petting Rodney as he talked. "You know I've been to clubs like this a few times, but I've never come with someone, not like this. And this is Rodney's first time doing anything like this."

"From the way both of you are with each other, you can't tell. God, John, he's so responsive to you. Is this what he's like all the time?"

John's smile was lazy. "Always. And sometimes more, depending on how deep he goes. I'm deliberately keeping him from sliding too much into submission, since I want him at least a little aware because this is his first time. I've never been with anyone who responded to me like Rodney does."

"If he was mine I'd keep him like this all the time if I could. None of this work crap," she said waving a hand in the air as she turned to Roger, offering a smile as her hand finally rested on his cheek, her thumb caressing the skin just above the leather of the gag. "Not that there's anything wrong with Roger—on the contrary, he's fantastic in bed—but I've never been with anyone so open, so in the moment."

"In a way, he is like this all the time. Not only is he responsive in bed, he really is brilliant. It would be cruel not to let him use that mind of his to its fullest potential. He gets so into it, so focused. Whatever Rodney's paying attention to has his full attention, and he dives into it with everything he has. It's just as sexy to watch him solving physics problems as it is to watch him respond to being touched."

Sue shook her head, giving Rodney a smile tinged with desire. "If you ever get tired of John, you know where to find me."

John palmed him, running a hand down his cock, making Rodney moan and buck up. "He won't be getting tired of me, ever. I won't let him."

"Just in case, the offer's open" Sue said, leaning back, wrapping Roger's leash around her hand. "We're going to mingle a little. Make sure you take a walk around and show him off, John."

"I will." John gave them a little wave, then turned to face Rodney again, pride and desire all over his face. "Everyone wants you, but I'm the lucky one who got you."

"Only you, John," Rodney whispered, his eyes fixed on his lover.

Humming John kissed him again. "Want to get up and walk around a little? We're going to be cramped in airline seats tomorrow and I do want to show you off." He grinned a little. "When you win the Nobel prize, I promise I'll wear something sleek and sexy and you can show me off, too."

"Your night, John," Rodney whispered.

John refastened his pants and unclipped him from the couch. There was a small sign that said 'Occupied' facedown on the table that John stood up. "This way we can come back here and know we still have a table when we get tired of walking around."

Rodney nodded, waiting patiently beside the table until John picked up the leash—his leash.

It was easily clipped into place, the free end wound around John's fist. They wandered around, eventually joining a small group chatting on the other end of the pool.

Rodney listened with a half-ear, letting his eyes wander around the area, just observing. It was strange and oddly freeing to be here, letting John worry about dealing with everyone, talking to everyone. All he had to do was watch and wait.

One of couples John was chatting with were two women. The submissive of the pair was wearing almost nothing and was on her knees next to her dom. Rodney watched her nuzzle at the other woman's leg, receiving a hand running through her hair in response.

John hadn't mentioned anything about kneeling and he wasn't sure he'd be able to get up again if he tried—not with his hands bound behind his back as they were. Sheppard must have sensed Rodney's gaze on the other sub and his thoughts on the matter because he turned to Rodney offering him a broad smile, his hand drifting across Rodney's chest to play with his clamped nipples before moving to palm him through his pants. He left his hand there, holding him, as he turned back to the woman he'd been talking to.

Rodney found himself leaning into John, and the sub on her knees looked up slightly, though her eyelashes, smiling a little. Then she closed her eyes and sighed, the smile still hovering. It was interesting—it seemed Rodney wasn't the only one who loved the feeling of being able to let go.

Closing his eyes, Rodney let himself drift knowing that John would take care of him.

They moved from group to group, John just a warm, comforting presence next to him, offering occasional caresses and touches. Rodney didn't know how long they had been mingling before a light touch to the tip of his nose made him open his eyes. John was smiling softly at him, watching. "Want to walk inside? Most of the people out here indulge in the edges of BDSM. Inside you can see some of the more hard-core stuff. I don't know that you will, but if you see anything that looks interesting, file it away and we can talk about it later."

Rodney nodded, leaning forward to offer John a kiss, his lover deepening it until McKay was moaning.

John smiled again and then took his hand, the leash draped loosely around John's hand. They walked in and headed back towards some of the smaller rooms. The first one they looked into, Rodney saw most of the subs were dressed up as animals of various sorts—even the anal plugs had been designed to look like tails.

Okay. That was a big no. John kept them moving, especially through some of the more intense sessions that were going on in the back rooms that involved whips and paddles and electrical devices.

They walked into one room that was mostly empty—there was one submissive chained spread-eagle to a contraption in the middle of the room, with three different people circling him. Some of the things they were doing didn't look pleasant, but the chained man didn't make a noise.

Rodney tugged John backward, not wanting to stay and see what they planned to do.

John came, letting the curtain fall closed behind them. The last room they swung through was slightly larger, and Rodney was struck by how many submissives were fully bound. One had on a chest harness and a gag with an ashtray attached to it that his dominant was using. Otherwise, the sub was being completely ignored.

His eyes lingered over the bindings, imagining what it would be like to be bound like that for John to use as he chose.

A light tug on the leash from John and they were back outside again, making their way to the table. Sue and Roger hadn't returned yet. John hooked Rodney back to the couch, this time spreading his legs as wide as they would comfortably go. The leash was removed and put on the table, and his pants were unbuttoned again, John's thumb brushing the tip of his cock.

Rodney groaned, his eyes closing once again as he let the sensations of John's hands wash over him.

John's mouth moved over the skin on his neck, tongue flicking out to taste him. "God, I want you. I want to pull you out and suck you down, taste you as you come. Hear the little noises you make when you get close, that needy, sexy whine."

Buckling up into John's hand, Rodney groaned, opening his eyes and holding John's gaze.

"When we get back to the hotel, I'm stripping you, tying you down, and fucking you until you're sobbing for release. You're going to feel it all day tomorrow on the plane."

He moaned again, turning his head to meet John's mouth, catching sight of several people watching them. Opening his mouth under John, he closed his eyes, letting him take them where he wanted.

John kissed him for a long time, hands roaming Rodney's body until he was panting and breathless. He didn't pull off all at once, rather, he slowly let his kisses get lighter, more teasing, before sitting up. Roger and Sue had returned at some point, and John turned to chat quietly with her, hand still resting on Rodney's leg.

Rodney sat quietly, trying to control his breathing and heart rate, trying to slow it down. John knew just how to turn him on.

Another couple wandered over, the dominant partner dropping down almost on top of Rodney, his sub settling between his legs. "Well now, you two are new. And you," he leered at Rodney, "are quite stunning, I must say."

Tugging at his bonds, Rodney tried to shift toward John, but the way he was secured to the couch didn't give him much room to move.

John had immediately stiffened. "He's taken. And I'm not big on sharing."

The dominant's hand reached out, landing on Rodney's knee. "So you're just here to show him off, then? If you don't do something with him soon, you might have some issues because we want to see if he's as pretty as he seems to be."

John reached over and plucked the other man's hand off Rodney, his own replacing it. "What I do with him is my business, friend. Feel free to look, but no touching."

"Lighten up. We're all friends here."

"I don't share."

The man held his hands up. "I’m not doing anything. Just being friendly."

John's gaze didn't waver. "I don't take exception to friendliness. Just don't touch him."

"I get it. I get it. I guess we'll be going, then."

John's hand moved to rest possessively over Rodney's groin as the other man left. Rodney could feel his gaze from where he sat across the pool from them—almost directly across. John, though, had turned to Sue. "I thought everyone observed the 'look but don't touch without asking' rule here."

"Most do," she said with a frown. "I'm sorry. I didn't think someone could be so rude."

"Have you seen him here before?" John was watching the pair from the corner of his eye.

"No," she shook her head. "There are a lot of new faces."

John rolled his shoulders. "As long as he doesn't try anything else, I won't make an issue of it. How are you and Roger doing? Doesn't his jaw start to ache having the gag in that long?"

"He's used to it," Sue said, glancing toward Roger. "Once I had him gagged for nearly twenty-four hours. He loved it."

John raised an eyebrow, turning a speculative look on Rodney. "That could be interesting. But I would miss kissing him. That's the only problem with gags."

"I agree. But there are other parts of him that I like more. Matter of taste, I guess."

"Well, there are other parts I like, too, but I like kissing. I could spend all day doing nothing but making out."

Sue shrugged. "Your choice, I guess. We're probably going to spend some times in one of the inside rooms. You're welcome to join us if you want."

"Which one? We walked through some of them, but I didn't make it to them all."

"They have some in the back for couples who want to take advantage of the dark."

Rodney saw John perk up. "Dark?"

"Semi-dark. They have some night-vision cameras that connect to the closed-circuit television. It's a new set-up. You can watch, or be watched. Either way, they encourage a little bit of a show."

Looking over, John caught his eye. "Rodney? What do you think? I know you're not as into public displays as I am."

Rodney leaned forward as much as he could, just enough to brush his lips against John's. Whatever John wanted, he could have.

"We'll go with you then. Never hurts to try something new, right?" John grinned, starting to tuck Rodney away and unhook him from the couch.

"I'd recommend finding a corner if you can. It'll discourage…participation." Sue rose, Roger matching her every move.

"I like corners anyway. They give me options." Leaning in, John licked at Rodney's ear before whispering. "I want to blow you."

Rodney turned his head, leaning in to whisper into John's ear. "Whatever you want. All yours."

John hummed, hooking on the leash then threading their fingers together. All four of them found the 'dark room' and John did, actually manage to find a corner, pushing Rodney against it and immediately diving in to claim his mouth.

With his hands behind his back, Rodney couldn't pull John closer, couldn't guide him in any way. He moaned under the assault, opening up to let John's mouth claim his.

Dropping to his knees, John unbuttoned Rodney's pants again and swallowed him down, sucking and licking all the way up and down his throbbing cock. He had been hard most of the night.

Rodney's head thumped back against the wall, his moans and groans joining the others filling the room as various couples and threesomes and moresomes enjoyed each other's company.

John reached back, and Rodney could feel his finger running over the plug, pushing on it over and over again, letting it slide further into Rodney and then pulling it back just a bit. His mouth continued to drive Rodney higher and higher

Closing his eyes, he gave himself up to John's hands and mouth, his body trembling and shuddering as he moaned, whimpered, and groaned in pleasure and need.

He felt John's other hand come up to tease his balls and the spot just behind them. Then the fingers moved up to trace the cock-ring as John moved to suck just on the tip of Rodney's dick.

He heard Sue's voice somewhere off to the right, the words whispered, but just loud enough to carry. "God, John…he's beautiful."

John just hummed, the vibrations shooting straight through Rodney's body.

He trembled, his partial grip on the wall the only thing holding him up as he whimpered and moaned.

The finger toying with the cock-ring flipped the tiny catch. He felt John pull of for a second, heard his whispered, "Come," before wet heat surrounded him again.

With a choked-off moan, Rodney felt his body shudder hard and he was coming down John's throat, his ass clenching against the plug filling him. He slumped against the wall, his knees buckling. John's hands on his hips were the only things that kept him upright.

John licked him clean and then fastened the ring back around him. He was carefully tucked back in and buttoned up before John stood, rubbing their bodies together all the way up, and claimed Rodney's mouth in a dirty kiss that tasted like Coke and his own come.

He groaned into John's mouth as his hands rubbed up and down his body, skimming his chest before they settled on his nipples. He rubbed them carefully—not too hard—but enough to send a twitch to his soft and sated cock.

John moved to nibble on Rodney's earlobe. "Can you get hard again?"

"Need…need a little bit…" Rodney panted.

John caressed his nipples again, doing it continuously until Rodney was trembling, body jerking a little one every pass-over. He whispered dirty things in Rodney's ear, about what he wanted to do to him, with him, on him.

It took far less time for him to get hard than he thought it would and as John continued to tease him, play with him, Rodney knew he was begging, whimpering with every touch, his entire body over-sensitized.

John stroked him through the leather, the material adding yet another layer of sensation to the whole encounter.

"John…please…"

John reclaimed his mouth, and Rodney felt a hand slide back into his pants, pulling him out, stroking him again. The cock ring was off again, and he was close, but he held on, waiting for John's whispered command before he came again, spilling into John's hand.

The release was sweet this time, but it made him shudder harder, seeing stars. He came to again a few moments later, after John had tucked him back away, his pants already closed, his lover pressed close to him.

"Hey." John trailed a line of kisses along his jaw. "You're amazing, you know that, right?"

"Hey," he whispered, still getting his bearings.

There were damp cloths scattered around the room in bowls, and from the lack of stickiness, Rodney realized John must have cleaned him up before putting him away. "Think you can walk yet?"

"I…what?"

"I'm holding you up. Let me know when you've gotten the feeling back in your feet. I'll take you somewhere you can sit down." John sounded amused.

"Oh…" Rodney said, straightening a little, feeling John back off a little, his hands at his sides ready to catch him if his legs didn't hold him. "Sitting…sitting would be good."

"I figured." As John led him to a small couch, still in the dark room, Rodney was aware that most of the sounds around them had stopped. John pulled him close once they were seated, wrapping both arms around him.

"Why is it so quiet?" Rodney finally asked, his words whispered, as he relaxed against John.

"I think most of them are in shock from how fucking incredible you looked." He heard the pride and arousal mixed in with John's amusement. "You're going to be held up as the standard for subs for years here."

Rodney pulled back just enough so he could see John's face, so his lover could see his confusion. "What? Why?"

John smiled. "You really don't know how incredible you are, do you? How much people want you? You say I never see it coming, but neither do you."

"I didn't do anything special," Rodney whispered.

"You didn't have to." John reached out, his thumb falling into the familiar caress along Rodney's jaw. "You're perfect just the way you are."

"Do you…are you okay? Do you need anything?"

John shook his head. "I want to fuck you, but not here. I'll be okay until we get back to the hotel."

"Okay."

They stayed that way for a while, curled together, until John finally stood and pulled Rodney up with him. They went back out to the couch by the pool, where he got them another Coke to share. They curled together again for a while until Sue and Roger rejoined them again.

Sue had finally removed Roger's gag and he was nearly bursting as he sat down. "You just about blew us away in there."

John grinned lazily. "I noticed the room go quiet half-way through. I totally have the best partner ever."

"They're still talking about the two of you."

"Rodney is pretty spectacular like that." John turned his head to press a kiss into the corner of his mouth. "Absolutely perfect."

"You could probably make a shitload of money if you wanted to make a movie or something. 'The Scientist and the Pilot' or something." Roger's eyes were wide. "I'd even buy it just to watch you two and listen to Rodney. He's not real, real loud, but God…"

John blinked, then laughed, low and amused. "Wow, I've been asked to model, but never to make porn before. I'll keep that in mind if the whole military career thing doesn't work out."

"And if you were in uniform…wow." Roger glanced to his wife, offering a smile. "We're just glad we were right by you because it certainly gave us some incentive."

Rodney saw a light flush go up John's neck. "What is it about people and uniforms? I don't see the appeal myself." He looked at Rodney. "Do you really have a burning desire to fuck me while I'm in dress blues?"

"Fuck you? No," Rodney answered quietly. "The other way round, however…"

John blinked. "You want me to tie you to the bed and take you while I wear my uniform?" Rodney heard both Sue and Roger suck in a breath at that.

"I wouldn't say no."

"You never say no." John grinned a little. "You've never even seen me in a real uniform, have you? I tend to stick with BDUs and flight gear whenever I can."

"I've worked with enough government agencies to know you'd look amazing." Rodney offered a smile, taking a sip from the Coke John offered him.

"Remind me when we're home, and I'll dig it out of storage for you. I bet I could do a decent strip-tease if I put my mind to it." Sue's eyes went wide, and Roger moaned a little.

"I know you could," Rodney said with a chuckle. "And I think your friends are getting a whole different view of you now."

John blushed again, but he was still grinning. "All I did was get you off. You're really the star here."

"You did all the heavy lifting."

John's tongue darted out, getting his lips moist. "I like the heavy lifting."

"Hmm…so do I."

The tongue darted out again, and Rodney was aware of more groans, accompanied by a few softer ones from tables around them. He realized they had an audience—they hadn't been kidding when they said he and John were the talk of the place.

Rodney closed the distance, offering a gentle kiss before John deepened it, pushing him against the back of the couch.

He could feel that John's erection pushing into his thigh through the material, hands skimming his sides. "We really are like teenagers, aren't we?" He whispered it into Rodney's mouth.

"Hmm…" was Rodney's only reply as John dove back in.

John seemed content to just make out for a while, alternating the deep kisses Rodney could taste in the back of his throat with light, teasing puffs of air along his jaw and down his neck.

Rodney felt himself slipping down again, his moans and sighs encouraging John to continue.

John was humming softly again, the sound being transferred into Rodney's mouth. They were both panting, but it was too good for either of them to want to stop.

Rodney felt John's hands skimming his body before they settled on his chest, playing with the clamps through his shirt, the sensation making Rodney arch into his touch, groaning as the mixture of pleasure and pain went right to his cock, settling in a pool at the base of his spine as he waited once again for release.

Pushing his shirt up, John moved down, mouthing at his nipples around the clamps, flicking the tips of each nub with his tongue.

Groaning, Rodney shuddered, knowing his nipples would be sore for the next day at this rate, but not caring, wanting to feel John's touch on him long after they were finished, the sensation holding him until the next time.

John continued his path down, stopping to tongue-fuck Rodney's belly-button for a few minutes, that talented mouth not letting up, pushing Rodney higher and higher.

Rodney knew he was muttering, moaning, mumbling, and chanting John's name under his breath in time with the thrusts of his tongue.

At some point John got Rodney's pants open again and pulled him out, mouthing his way up and down the leaking cock, pausing to lap at the slit every time he reached the top.

He was having sex in public. Again. And this time it wasn't in the dark.

And right now, he didn't care. All he wanted was John, wanted to make his lover happy.

John teased him and played with his body until he was making a continuous, high-pitched whine in the back of his throat. Only then did he release the catch on the cock ring. "Come for me, Rodney," he whispered before taking Rodney all the way into his mouth.

With a loud groan, Rodney felt himself coming again, John drinking every ounce, every drop of his come as he shook and trembled through his climax. He felt his body go limp, slumping to the side as John pulled off, waiting for Rodney to settle before he licked him clean, tucking him away once again.

As he slowly came back to himself, John fitting himself into the curve of Rodney's body, he was aware of a lot of harsh panting and moaning around them. John seemed to have heard it too. "I think we started an orgy. Most of them waited until we were done, then started ripping clothes off."

"Hmmm," Rodney replied, his eyes threatening to close once again.

John nuzzled into the curve of Rodney's neck, and they stayed that way for a while. At one point, John sat up enough to reach under Rodney and unhook the cuffs from each other, encouraging Rodney to wrap his arms around him before resuming his cuddling.

Tangled together with his lover, his partner, on the couch in the middle of a BDSM party, Rodney drifted off to sleep, content and sated and completely in love—and lust—with one John Sheppard.

***

John woke up slowly. The first thing he was aware of was that they were outside, and dawn was just starting to stain the horizon. The second was that someone had put a blanket over them. The third was that he hadn’t come at all last night, and his usual morning erection was almost painful.

Rodney was wrapped around him, still asleep, so John sat up slowly, managing to get free without waking him up. He saw Sue and Roger sleeping on the other couch at their table, more bodies sprawled out all over the place.

Wow, they really had set off an orgy. Cool.

 

He stretched slowly as he stood, working each muscle group. When he was done, he saw Sue had sat up and moved off her couch too, Roger still sleeping. She was watching him stretch.

Keeping his voice low, John moved to stand next to her. “Morning. I don’t know about you, but I slept surprisingly well for not coming and then making a couch and my lover my bed.”

"I think if I ever saw you actually fuck him I'd die from some kind of sexual overload," Sue replied, her voice equally quiet.

John knew he was blushing by the heat that flared through his cheeks. He always knew he had a bit of an exhibitionist streak to him, but he never realized he really wanted to fuck his lover for an audience. He was a bit embarrassed by how hard his cock twitched at the thought. "Last night was amazing. I didn't know if he would go with it like that. He's like that for me, in private, but he isn't as comfortable with the public thing."

"He didn't seem to have an issue last night."

John's gaze drifted to his lover, his partner, and he smiled. "No, he really didn't. He just let go and trusted me." And it had been so amazingly hot John had had a hard time not coming in his pants a few times. Rodney had just responded so beautifully to everything—John wanted to wake him up and do it all over again.

"And he wasn't sure he wanted to come to the party? He fit right in, that's for sure. And I don't think we'll have to get the two of you invited the next time, either. I know Greg was very…impressed."

"Greg?" John tore his eyes away from Rodney to look back at Sue. "And while I'm admittedly biased in thinking Rodney was the hottest guy here, we aren't even in to some of the heavy stuff. I'm kinda surprised we got noticed at all, to be honest."

"He's one of the owners. A friend of mine and the one who gave me the okay to invite you. And trust me, everyone knows you."

John felt a sliver of panic at that, which he ruthlessly suppressed. After all, he was the one with the public sex kink, the possibility of getting caught was part of the thrill. "Knows Rodney you mean. He was the one everyone was lusting after. I'm just the guy who gets to take him home."

"You come as a couple, John, and you're the dom."

He knew his grinned turned a little goofy. "It's still kind of thrilling to know we're really a couple. And while I can't actually say 'I do' because of my job, once the paperwork his lawyer drew up for us clears, we'll be as close to married as we can get—in some ways it will be even more binding. I get to keep him, for the rest of our lives."

"Why can't you? He's Canadian, right?"

"Yes, but there's still DADT. I'm greedy—I want Rodney, and I want my career too. If I have to choose, there's no question I'll walk away from the Air Force and never look back, but if I don't have to..."

"There are always options, John," Sue said, touching his arm. "Just make sure you're happy. You deserve it."

He smiled, bumping shoulder with her slightly. "I am, believe it or not. Rodney is the only person I'd be willing to give up flying for, but... it's part of me, the need to be in the air. I have enough flight time now that I could get a commercial job somewhere if I wanted to, but those wouldn't be fast jets. And the base we're at now…we're doing important work, both of us."

"Good. I’m happy for you, really. I just wish we'd hit it off with Rodney."

John shook his head. "I'm not sure what set him off, and he didn't know either. I don't think it's that he didn't like you. I have a feeling some of it was that he wasn't sure how to handle you. He's usually the one bowling people over, so he isn't used to having the tables turned."

"Rodney?"

John laughed quietly. "He's the terror of the labs. I spend as much time as I can get away with watching him. People weep before him. You're seeing him after a week of very determined effort on my part to make him relax, and I've been trying to keep him in a state of low-level submission for most of the vacation. Our jobs are high-stress, so this is good for him."

"You're doing one hell of a job, then. I would never have guessed."

"He's worth it."

Sue smiled, her gaze drifting to Roger and Rodney, both still asleep. "We should probably take our subs home, what do you think?"

"Oh, God, yes. I need to come so badly it isn't even funny. And we have a flight to catch this afternoon. And we haven't even started packing yet."

"I don't think Rodney will argue if you want to fuck him. He was begging for it at one point last night."

John flushed again. "He really, really likes to be fucked. I have a hard time getting him to go the other way around."

"You definitely found yourself a sub."

John hummed low in his throat. He knew he did it during sex too, but he couldn't help it. He had always been noisy in bed, and, technically, they were discussing what they did in bed, so he could excuse himself.

"Take him home, tie him down, and fuck him. You deserve to after your restraint last night."

"I didn't really expect to wait all night. If I didn't know he would be more comfortable in our room, I'd just drag him into one of the rooms and take him now." John shifted a little, the leather rubbing against him starting to get a little tight.

Sue's eyes drifted over the yard, peering into the house. "There are still a lot of people around—from the looks of it."

John looked around himself. "I'm a bit surprised by that actually. Usually people clear out before dawn, don't they? Why was last night any different?"

"I think they were waiting for you to fuck him."

John blinked, tossing her an incredulous look. "What? You aren't serious. We're just one couple out of probably a hundred here."

"You made quite the impression," Sue said as a low moan sounded from the couch. It seemed like Rodney was waking.

John was immediately at his side, aware of Sue leaning against the table watching. "Hey. Good morning."

Rodney's eyes blinked several times, obviously taking his time to focus. "Hi," he finally said, the word breathy and quiet.

"We, along with half the guests, apparently fell asleep here last night. How are you feeling?"

"Um…what?"

Grinning, John had to admit Rodney was incredibly endearing first thing in the morning, before he had his coffee. "We slept under the stars on a pretty comfy bondage couch. And I never got to fuck you. Which I'm kinda still looking forward to. But we have to get moving first, get you some breakfast and coffee, and then I need to see if you're sore from wearing the harness all night."

"I'm okay." He blinked a few times, his gaze focusing out past John's shoulder. "Can we go home?"

John stood, holding out a hand to pull Rodney up. "Yeah. We'll stop somewhere and grab breakfast to go. There's a drive thru on the way."

Taking the hand John offered, Rodney moaned, his free hand going to the small of his back.

"I was worried about that." John turned him around and quickly ran his fingers along Rodney's spine, finding the knotted muscles. He identified the worst of them and targeted them, trying to loosen his lover up. "Between sleeping on a couch and sleeping with me on top of you, I had a feeling your back would be out of whack."

"Was the couch I think," Rodney said, groaning as John hit a knot, working it out.

"Yeah, they aren't really meant for sleeping." Sue had woken up Roger and they were standing nearby, both watching. John noticed a few others had started to rise, and almost all of them were trying to be discreet about it, but they were watching him and Rodney. Huh.

John felt his lover tense under him, but he didn't move away from John. "Can we just go?" he finally asked, whispering the question.

"Yes." With a last caress, John dropped his hand and grabbed the leash off the table. He turned to Sue and Roger, hugging them both. "Peter and Harry gave us a camera, so we'll send pictures when we can. And here," he dug the last of his little cards out of his wallet, "I gave one of these to Peter, too. That address gets forwarded to me no matter where I'm stationed. But keep in mind anything you send me gets read probably twenty times before it gets to me..."

"Thank you." Sue nodded, her eyes sliding to Rodney and back to John, asking silent permission from him to touch his lover.

He gave her a brief nod, smiling. "And I'm sure as soon as we get leave again, I'll need more pants. Seriously? I don't know how I keep managing to lose them between one period and the next. One of these days I'm going to walk into my storage unit and a mountain of leather is going to fall on me."

"I don't know, John," Sue chuckled, enveloping Rodney in a hug, followed by Roger. "We'll walk you out before you get propositioned a few more times."

Linking his hand with Rodney's, they all started for the front of the house. They chatted a bit, and John detoured slightly to grab a handful of peanuts out of a bowl on the bar, Tasting one to make sure they hadn't been contaminated with citrus, he handed the rest over to Rodney. "Here, these should help hold you over until I can get you some real food."

"Thanks," Rodney said, glancing from the peanuts in his hand to John. "I'm okay right now."

John nodded. He just wanted to be sure. With a last round of hugs, they split from Sue and Roger, sliding into the car. "This is the last time I get to drive this little beauty."

"You just leave it at the hotel?"

"Well, I'll drive it to the airport, but that doesn't count. That's not for pleasure."

Rodney sighed and nodded, settling back in his seat, his left hand coming to rest on John's thigh. "We still have some of that pleasure to work through, don't we?"

John actually whimpered as his dick reminded him it hadn't gotten to play all night long. "I hope to God you aren't sore when I take that plug out, because I really, really need to fuck you."

"Even if I am, it's okay. I want you to fuck me."

"I don't want to hurt you."

"I'm not going to break."

John pulled into a McDonald's drive-thru. "I know. But that doesn't mean I want to hurt you. And what do you want besides coffee?"

"Food?"

"Yeah. I'm getting a sausage biscuit. I love those things."

"Whatever. As long as there's coffee involved I’m not going to complain…too much."

Chuckling, John ordered two large coffees and two of the biscuits, trying to dig his wallet out while he followed the line around to pay.

"Do you know I left my wallet at the hotel?" Rodney said as John finally fished out some money.

"It should be fine. You didn't need it last night." Taking a blissful sip of the hot beverage, John's breakfast was gone before they pulled up to the hotel. He had been hungry.

"I just never do that," Rodney said, his food long gone as well, but the coffee was going down slowly. He got out of the car when the valet opened the door, already heading into the hotel without a thought as to how he was dressed.

John tossed the keys to the man, took a half-second to admire Rodney's ass, and then caught up. "Well, you were a little preoccupied, and I didn't add it to the stuff you were wearing. You didn't grab anything I didn't put on you."

"You were certainly distracting enough," he said with a smile, his eyes holding promise.

"I try." John hit the elevator call button and tried not to fidget. He was really hard.

The only got a few odd looks, Rodney too intent on his coffee to notice. The ride to their floor went quickly, Rodney letting John take him by the elbow to move him along a little faster.

"When we get inside, strip off your shirt and pants as fast as you can. I'll remove the rest."

"But my coffee…"

"Rodney." John did not whine. He didn't. "I really, really need to be inside you."

"But I'm not—"

"I'll heat it up for you after we have sex."

"I guess. It's not the same though," Rodney replied, but John could see the corner of his mouth twitch.

"Sex. Coffee." John held out his hands and pretended to weigh them. The Coffee hand lost spectacularly.

"You'd fuck my limp, non-caffeinated body?"

"It won't be limp as soon as I start to touch it." John smirked, finally swiping the key-card in the door. "I think I can give you a jolt that won't have Carson grumbling about ten-cups-a-day."

"Maybe," Rodney said as John ushered him into the room, taking the cup from his hands.

John pulled him hard back against his own body, letting Rodney feel his erection while he reached around to rub at Rodney's groin. "Are you really telling me you plan to stay limp and uninterested when I have you naked with the intent to fuck you senseless?"

"I'm not saying that."

Nudging Rodney's head with his nose, John moved in to suck lightly on his lover's neck. "Then what were you saying?"

"Nothing," Rodney moaned, "nothing at all."

"So you're going to take these clothes off and go wait for me on the bed, on your knees so I can take off the harness and belt? Then strap you to the bed and bury myself so deep inside you, you'll be able to taste me in the back of your throat?"

"God…" He groaned, his eyes closing as John nipped at his neck.

With more self-control than he knew he had, John let go and stepped back, folding his arms across his chest. "Well? Get naked."

Rodney shivered, his eyes opening slowly before he turned and walked into the bedroom, disappearing from John's view.

John ran through the first one hundred primes in his head, forcing himself to wait, to let Rodney get in position. When he did allow himself to move, he did it slowly, deliberately. His breath caught in his throat as he rounded the corner to see Rodney kneeling in the center of the bed, naked except for the toys, hands clasped behind his back. "You are so fucking beautiful."

A flush highlighted Rodney's cheeks, but he didn't duck his head, his eyes tracking John as he walked through the bedroom toward the bed.

John trailed fingers over Rodney's body, eyes resting on the shiny metal he had put on Rodney's nipples what felt like days ago. He was using only enough pressure to keep them from falling off, but still... with a slightly wicked smile he flicked them each once, then pulled both off in one swift motion.

Rodney curled slightly as his eyes closed, groaning loudly.

Leaning forward, John braced one hand behind Rodney's back to hold him in place, then used his tongue to sooth the abused nubs.

The groans eventually turned to moans of pleasure as John continued to lick and mouth the overly sensitive nipples. While the muscles in Rodney's arms flexed several times, he never moved his arms forward, keeping them clasped behind his back.

Sitting back again, John knew he couldn't stretch this out as long as he really wanted to. "Rodney... I need... I'm going to take the belt off now, and you have to tell me if you're too sore to take me, because otherwise I want you on your hands and knees and I'm fucking you so hard we'll both see stars."

"I want you to fuck me."

With hands that were shaking slightly, John unlocked the belt and carefully pulled it out, moaning along with Rodney as the plug slipped free. "Hands and knees."

It took a moment for Rodney to move, shifting on the bed so he was in position, legs spaced as widely apart as he could, his cock, hard and red and leaking.

Grabbing the lube from the table, John fumbled his pants open, wishing now that he had used his wait time to strip. He coated a finger and slipped it into Rodney, needing to see for himself how ready his lover was, and that he wasn't going to hurt him.

Rodney moaned as John's finger probed him, but he remained still, letting Sheppard do whatever he pleased. And God…Rodney was ready just like this, the inflatable plug doing a fine job of stretching him. There would still be a little burn since John was bigger, but he could just slide in.

With a choked-off sob John smeared lube over his dick and pressed inside, forcing himself to move slowly when every instinct was telling him to go fast, to take what he wanted. "I don't want you to touch your dick, and I'm not going to either. If you can come from being fucked alone, you can. Otherwise you have to wait for later, when I'm ready to come again."

"Oh….okay," Rodney whispered, his body trembling as John got himself settled, pressing in until he was balls-deep inside McKay.

He set up a rhythm of quick, short thrusts after he found Rodney's prostate. "So good so good so good..."

"John…feels so good…so full…oh…John…"

"Rodney... I'm going to... I need to..." He hit Rodney's prostate hard two more times before he shuddered, coming so hard it felt like someone was ripping his balls away from his body.

Rodney groaned as John collapsed on top of him, tumbling them both to the bed.

"How... how close are you?"

"Close."

Despite what he had said earlier, John couldn't leave his lover wanting, not when he had brought him nearly to the edge. Rolling them onto their sides, he reached around and stroked a thumb across the head of Rodney's erection, smearing pre-come all over it. "Come, Rodney. Come for me like this."

Trapped with John's cock in his ass and his hand on his dick, Rodney groaned, his climax rolling through him, intense but nearly silent.

They both stayed there, panting, until they caught their breath. "You know, I'm really going to miss this bed."

"Can always order one," Rodney finally said, his hand covering John's as it rested on his stomach.

"True. Think we could come up with a way to get them to send it to Atlantis?"

"Doubtful."

"You could draw up plans and get the Athosians to build us one. We'd add the straps and finishing touches ourselves."

"I could, but that might also be a red-flag. Even someone blind, deaf, and dumb would be able to figure out we were fucking."

John sighed softly, curling into Rodney a little more. "The more I have of you, the less I care if anyone else finds out."

Rodney breathed quietly for several minutes before he spoke again. "How much time do we have?"

John raised his head enough to see the clock. Their flight was at 1600 hours, which meant they should plan to leave the hotel by 1350. So... "About three and a half hours, give or take, before we should be checking out and heading back to the rental car drop off at the airport."

His lover sighed, more an exhale of breath than an actual comment.

"Okay, I vote we pack, then I tie you down for one last use of this fucking fantastic bed, then we shower and get dressed to check out."

Rodney was quiet for another moment before he finally responded. "Can you…since I know we probably won't be able to do this kind of thing on a regular basis when we're back in Colorado or if we actually manage not to get fired, on Atlantis, so you think, it might be possible that you can put me in somekindofbondagefortherestoftheday?" The last bit seemed to drop off, the words mumbled.

John smiled into the back of Rodney's neck. God, he loved this man. "I'm going to put your every-day collar back on, but I want you to wear these cuffs all day. When we're on the plane, we'll get one of those blankets they hand out, and I'll lock your hands together underneath the blanket. You'll be wearing a cock ring, so I might even rub you off a little, get you semi-hard and keep you that way for the whole trip."

"How about a plug?"

John let one hand trail down to stroke Rodney's entrance. "Can you walk without discomfort as it is?"

"Probably." Rodney sighed again and John waited, knowing there was more coming. When his lover continued a few beats later, his voice was low. "I…I want you to put me under a little…like when we went to the Canyon. If you want to."

"You want to spend the day lost in submission again?" John brushed kisses across the back of Rodney's neck as he continued to lightly fondle his ass. "It's not like I'm going to say no to that."

"I know it works for you, but after yesterday…" He shrugged, leaning back into John a little.

"It's not work." John slipped a leg between Rodney's. "Having you like that is one of my favorite things. You're soft, and relaxed, and you look so happy. I plan to put that look on your face as often as possible."

"It's…I don't know if I've ever felt so…safe, content…I'm not even sure if that describes it."

Rodney was still slick from the lube and John's come, so he slipped the tip of his finger inside his lover, setting up a slow, barely there rhythm. "I know. We will have to deal with the public, so you tell me how deep you're comfortable with. I can keep you deep all day, or I can give you just enough to feel relaxed."

Humming, McKay shifted just enough to give John better access. "I’m selfish, I know, but I hate airports and dealing with people…I just don't want to worry about any of it. But I also don't want to draw undue attention to us and what we're doing."

John nodded slightly, smiling again. "I can do that. And you're not selfish. I'm the selfish one—I get to play with you all day, however I want." Shifting, John rolled Rodney onto his back, then ran a hand up each arm, pushing them above Rodney's head. He locked his lover's wrists into place, grabbing a pillow to put under his hips before pulling Rodney's legs as wide as they could go and locking them down. "So beautiful like this..."

"I thought we were packing first," Rodney said.

"I'm packing, you're going to lie there and look pretty for me." Grinning, John retrieved the new vibrator Rodney had bought, his iPod, headphones, and a cock ring. "Why don't we try this out? I made a playlist after we bought it."

Rodney's eyes widened. "When did you have time to do that?"

"I've been working on it. It was originally just a 'songs to have sex to' playlist—I was thinking we could try that instead of the earplugs some time—but now that we have a vibrator that works with music, I figured this list can pull double-duty." John settled the headphones in place, knowing Rodney could still hear him until the music started. "So, I'm going to let you enjoy the music while I pack. Since I don't want you to come without me, you'll be wearing a cock ring."

Even though Rodney's eyes were wide, he nodded, tugging at the restraints a little before settling into the mattress. After fastening the cock ring in place, John pulled out the lube, adding a little to the vibrator before sliding it into place.

Skimming over the suggestions for best results. John pushed play and adjusted the volume, then sat back a little to watch for a reaction.

Rodney twitched as the vibrator came to life in time with the music. The first song started slowly but would soon build. John knew exactly when the chorus hit because Rodney moaned as the vibrator picked up speed and intensity, his lover squirming in his bonds.

Chuckling, John opened the suitcases and started to pack, enjoying the sounds of Rodney's pleasure as he did, knowing his lover was being driven higher and higher.

When John heard a choked-off whimper, he glanced up to look at his lover only to find him with his head thrown back, eyes closed, panting heavily through his mouth, his cock hard and leaking, his body trembling.

John reached over Rodney to lower the volume—and intensity—slightly. But he didn't stop it. Rodney said he wanted to spend the day in submission; this was the beginning of that. Rodney was hard and needy, but he wasn't yet mindless with it yet.

McKay moaned again, trying to catch his breath in between songs, but John knew that there wasn't much in the way of pauses in the playlist he'd picked. God…this was such a good look for Rodney.

He packed fairly quickly, throwing stuff into the suitcases—it would all need to be washed when they got home anyway. Of the toys, he only kept a few out and set aside for use, the rest carefully getting shoved into two suitcases. When everything was more or less packed, John returned to the bed and Rodney, who had been reduced to twitching and moaning loudly.

This had definitely been a good purchase, John thought, watching as Rodney's body trembled.

John put a hand in the middle of Rodney's chest, giving his lover something to focus on.

McKay's eyes flew open immediately, locking onto John's, his moans seemingly getting louder, begging John to do something.

Keeping his hand centered on Rodney's chest, John brought the other up to gently roll a nipple between his fingers. He suspected Rodney could read lips, so he started to talk softly. "You look amazing like this. I love watching you respond to me, watching your body come alive for me. Knowing I'm the only one who's ever done this to you, who will ever do this to you."

"Oh….oh God…" Rodney moaned, bucking up into John's touch, his body responding immediately to John.

Releasing the nipple, John reached down to grab the end of the vibrator, slowly starting to fuck Rodney with it.

The begging turned immediately to moans of pleasure and need, his body trembling with it. His eyes slowly closed once again as he gave himself up to the sensations.

John kept it up until he knew more would be pointless. Rodney had moved beyond anything except feeling. Adjusting the angle to hit Rodney's prostate, John picked up the speed with the vibrator, nudging the headphones off Rodney's ears. He pulled the cock ring loose, then caught and held pleasure-blown blue eyes. "Come."

Rodney moaned, low and deep in his throat, as he climaxed, come streaking his stomach as his cock pulsed, his body shuddering through the aftershocks as John continued to fuck him with the vibrator.

When his body started to jerk from over-sensitization, John finally pulled the little device free. He gave it a fond look before tossing it to the other side of the bed to be cleaned in a bit and packed. They would definitely be using that again.

Other than his panting breaths interspaced with an occasional moan, Rodney was silent. His body was relaxed and post-coital, and John could almost feel his lover slipping into his headspace.

He wished they could walk through the airport with Rodney gagged—maybe blindfolded—but airport security probably wouldn't look too fondly on that. As it was, the metal cuffs were probably going to set off the detectors. For now, he was content to pet his lover, murmuring softly to him, encouraging him to let go and fall completely into headspace.

Rodney hummed in contentment, his muscles relaxing once again, his body molding to the bed.

"Time to get you cleaned up and dressed for the day." John didn't bother to hide the surge of affection he felt when Rodney just smiled the sweet, uncomplicated smile he only got when he was in his headspace. Unlocking him from the bed, John took off the leather ankle cuffs but left all the metal in place. He gently led Rodney into the shower, where he indulged in their daily ritual. When they were done, He dried them both off, encouraging Rodney to sink to his knees. "I want your mouth around me. Make me come."

He moved immediately, resting on his knees in the shower as he positioned himself in front of John, placing his hands behind his back before he moved, kissing the tip of John's cock before he began to mouth the head. He teased the tip for several minutes before moving to lick the underside, sucking gently on John's balls.

John let one hand fall to the top of Rodney's head, carding through the soft, damp hair. He let his head fall back against the wall, closing his eyes to enjoy the sensations. "You have such a talented mouth. Use it. Show me what you've got. Make me come so hard my knees go weak."

John felt the soft exhale of breath against his skin as Rodney chuckled lightly before he turned his attention back to John's cock. Using his teeth and his tongue, he licked and nipped, driving John right to the edge and holding him there. Finally, he swallowed John down—the head of his cock hitting the back of Rodney's throat—and he began to suck and swallow and hum, the sensations pushing John right to the edge.

"Oh god oh god oh god I'm going to come..." John's head hit the back wall with a crack as he came, making him see stars. He wasn't entirely sure whether they were from the orgasm or the head injury.

Rodney drank down ever drop, licking him clean once he softened. When he was finally done, Rodney leaned against John's leg, simply breathing in his lover's scent, hands still clasped behind his back.

It took him a few minutes to catch his breath, absently petting Rodney's head as he did. He knew this had to be killing Rodney's knees, so he tugged his lover up, kissing him gently before leading him back out into the bedroom.

God, Rodney was so pliable like this, so trusting, allowing John to move him, place him exactly where he wanted.

He was leery about leaving a plug in all day again, but he knew Rodney wanted it. So he had chosen the smallest silicone plug they had bought, coating it with lube and gently pushing it inside. Next to go on was the plastic chastity device, followed by the ankle cuffs, locked back into place.

Rodney was humming quietly, content in his own little world. With his eyes closed, McKay could only feel and hear and smell and John controlled every aspect of it.

John went ahead and changed out the bigger, more obvious collar for the one Rodney had been wearing all week. He hesitated over the cuffs—he didn't want to have to take them off in the airport and risk throwing Rodney out of headspace. So he went ahead and traded them for the leather ones. He could take all four locks off before they went through the metal detector.

Rodney followed John's instructions, helping Sheppard get him dressed before laying him back on the bed as John dressed quickly, cleaning the vibrator and putting away the items they didn't need.

 

Glancing at the clock, John decided it was probably time to start for the door. He called for the concierge to come get all the bags and then brought Rodney to sit in the living room with him while he waited. "I can't put a gag or blindfold on you in the airport, but I don't want you to talk unless someone says something specifically to you that needs an answer."

He nodded in understanding, leaning into John's side, fingers threading through John's.

"I'll be holding your hand for most of the time, so if you want to close your eyes, you can. If I need to let go, I'll squeeze first to give you some warning."

With a squeeze of his own, Rodney turned his body toward John, nearly climbing on top of him as McKay buried his face in the crook of John's shoulder as his arms wrapped around to hold onto him.

John wrapped his arms around his lover and held him close until a knock came on the door. "Ready to get going?"

"Not really, no," came Rodney's quiet reply.

Tilting Rodney's head, John kissed him deeply. "It will be fine. Just let go and let me take care of you."

Rodney pressed another kiss to John's lips before shifting off of John with a groan, sitting back on the couch as John got up to open the door, getting their luggage squared away with the bellhop.

When it was on its way, John held out a hand to Rodney. "Come on. Let's go home."

They walked hand in hand to the lobby, and John smiled when he saw Rodney’s eyes were closed, trusting his lover to guide him. The soft, relaxed look on Rodney’s face was so endearing, John had to lean in for a quick kiss.

They got checked out. Peter apparently hadn’t been kidding when he had said they were taking care of the expenses, and the hotel wouldn’t let John reverse that. He made a mental note to find something that could pass through security clearance to send them. Maybe Teyla would have some ideas.

 

The drive back to the airport was bittersweet, since John hated to give up the car. He ran a hand over the hood wistfully and then handed over the keys to the agent. Taking Rodney’s hand again, they got checked in to the flight—first class again—and had no problems getting through security. Once at the gate, John eased Rodney down into a seat, sitting next to him and resting a hand on his thigh.

“We can board in about forty-five minutes. Do you want anything to eat or drink?”

Turning to him, Rodney gazed at him for a long moment before responding, the one word phrased as a question, obviously asking John's permission. "Coffee?"

John loved the way Rodney leaned into his touch every time he ran a thumb along his jaw. "And lunch. Wait here for me. I'll go grab us something."

""kay," Rodney nodded, settling back in the chair, eyes scanning the area before drifting closed again.

Kissing his lover's forehead briefly, John went off to find them food. He grabbed a foot-long sub at the Subway, then headed over to the coffee shop for two large lattes. He smiled as he found Rodney still sitting relaxed where he had left him. "Here. Eat this before you drink the coffee."

Rodney opened his eyes, looking at John for a long moment before nodding, brain cells connecting a little slower than normal. If John didn't know better, he'd be worried that something was wrong. It was still hard to wrap his own thoughts around the concept that Rodney could actually be so quiet and relaxed, actually turning his brain down for a little while.

Taking the sandwich from John, he opened it and settled it on his lap, opening the wrapping and immediately digging into the sandwich, a happy moan rumbling from his chest.

John ate his own half, still smiling. He let his free hand rest on Rodney's leg again, rubbing his thumb in small circles.

Rodney finished the sandwich with his usual efficiency. It seemed the only way that was going to change was if actually fed Rodney everything, but that was impractical and he was certain McKay couldn't agree to that kind of detailed control.

Handing over the coffee, John caught up Rodney's other hand with his own. They sat there, just being together, until it was time to board. As soon as they found their seats, John got a blanket and draped it over Rodney's lap, hooking the cuffs together underneath it. The armrest in the middle folded up, so after the seatbelts were fastened, he encouraged Rodney to lean against him. "Just close your eyes and relax."

Shifting slightly to get a more comfortable angle, Rodney did just so, releasing a long breath as he relaxed into the seat.

John leaned his own head against Rodney's and closed his eyes. He was as relaxed as Rodney, just enjoying the way his lover felt against him. He was vaguely aware of the stewardesses grinning at them, but he really didn't care.

The flight went quickly, John finding that he'd actually drifted off to sleep somewhere in the middle, only waking when there was a light touch on his elbow. "Sir? We need you to raise your seatback. We're going to be landing."

"Mmmm. Okay. Thanks." He flashed her a smile and sat up, doing Rodney's chair at the same time.

Rodney blinked lazily up at him, going to move his hands to stretch, but stopping when he felt the tug between his wrists.

"When we land, I'll unhook them." He couldn't resist kissing that crooked, confused mouth.

"Mmm…'kay."

Slipping a hand under the blanket, John twined their fingers together, riding out the landing. He couldn't help wincing when they came down a little rough, fingers automatically twitching for controls to even it out, make it a smooth and seamless transition from sky to ground.

Rodney squeezed his hand, giving him an amused and knowing smile.

John just shrugged, although he did grin. He was the first to admit pilots were probably the most neurotic of all the military ranks.

As soon as they were ready to start deplaning, he unhooked the cuffs. He started to reach out for Rodney’s hand and then froze. It was almost physical pain when he realized they were in Denver, and he couldn’t just walk around holding his lover’s hand like he could in Vegas. God damn it he hated the military sometimes.

He saw Rodney's face close down at almost the same moment, realization dawning as well with him. He tucked his hands into his pockets, following John off the plane. They walked in silence to the baggage claim, waiting at the carousel for their bags.

They collected them quickly, managing to drag everything out to Rodney's car in the long-term lot. Looking around to make sure there was no one else around, John pushed Rodney hard into the side of the car, devouring his mouth. "Mine. Fuck it all, I'll resign my damn commission and we can go find a lab somewhere and you can wow the scientific community and make millions."

Rodney's hands had wrapped around John and he leaned into his lover, panting. "Would you give up Atlantis?"

"For you, yes. If you asked me to, I would walk away and never look back."

"We still have each other. We just have to be discreet."

John moved down to Rodney's neck, mouthing at the collar. "I liked being able to touch you, kiss you, hold your hand whenever I wanted." He almost wanted to cry as he realized what going back would mean. Atlantis was home, but Rodney...

"Take me home?"

They kissed again, this time less desperate, before John opened the door and let Rodney get in. He walked around to slide into the driver's seat, immediately reaching out for Rodney's hand. He squeezed tightly, not wanting to be out of contact.

"We have about two hours in the car, right?"

"Yes. About that." Looking over, John relaxed his grip somewhat and stroked his thumb over Rodney's pulse-point. "Try to relax for me?"

Rodney raised an eyebrow. "Help me?"

He hadn't started the car yet, so John wiggled enough to get to Rodney's feet, locking them together. It was warm out, so no one would look at him too oddly for going shirtless—he pulled it off and draped it over Rodney's lap, locking his hands together underneath. Leaning all the way across the seat, he put his lover's seat down as far as it would go. "Close your eyes."

A smile ghosted across Rodney's lips and he nodded, doing as John requested.

John ran an open palm down Rodney's chest, petting him until he felt his lover start to relax. "I can't do any more until we're out of the parking lot. So just stay there like that, and think about me and what I'm going to do with you when we get home."

Rodney opened his eyes to look at John, a hopeful express crossing his face.

Chuckling, John tried, unsuccessfully he knew, to make his face stern. "Eyes closed, McKay. And yes, I meant exactly what you think I meant."

Smiling, Rodney closed his eyes, keeping his head tilted toward John, relaxing into the seat after tugging at the restraints on his ankles and wrists. It was a thing he did, John realized.

John wondered if they made clear cuffs. If they did, he might be able to get away with putting them on Rodney during the day sometimes... Starting the car, he got them quickly through the parking lot—he only got a raised eyebrow for his naked torso—and onto the highway. As soon as they were clear, he pulled the shirt away and hooked a thumb in the top of Rodney's waistband.

Rodney's eyes opened again, drifting down to where John's hand was. A few seconds later he lifted his arms, letting them drape over the headrest, giving John unobstructed access.

Popping the button, John silently praised Rodney for owning a narrow enough car that he could play and drive at the same time. Keeping his eyes on the road, he let his finger slip a little further inside.

Shifting in the seat, Rodney opened his legs as much as the cuffs would allow, obviously encouraging John to continue.

Since he couldn't actually touch Rodney's cock with the chastity device in place, John started stroking the crease between Rodney's thigh and torso.

He moaned, shivering slightly at John's touch.

Trailing the hand up, John pushed Rodney's shirt up enough to expose his lover's perky nipples—which popped right out to say hello. Instead of tweaking them, John used the pad of his thumb to gently rub each one in circles.

The happy contented sighs and moans only continued, putting a smile on John's face. God, he loved hearing Rodney, seeing him respond so easily and eagerly for him. Keeping an eye on the road and his speed—there was no way he was going to be able to explain this to a cop if he got pulled over—John continued to play.

By the time they made it to the apartment, John was hard enough to wish they didn't have to bring in the bags to have access to any of their toys. He slowed down as they got closer, trying to be gentle about easing Rodney off enough to make it up the stairs.

By the time he pulled in the apartment complex, his hand was resting on Rodney's thigh, his shirt pulled back down, John's shirt across his lap covering his cuffed wrists. McKay was quiet, the moans and sighs trailing off, his heart slowing down.

Pulling into the closest spot he could, John parked the car then came around to Rodney's side, quickly unhooking the cuffs. He hooked his t-shirt over his shoulder. "Come on, buddy. Let's get these bags and get you upstairs."

Rodney looked up at John for a moment before nodding, letting John pull him out of the car. Leaving him leaning against the car, John grabbed the bags from the trunk, hooking two of them together so he didn't have to make two trips or have Rodney cart one of them. They weren't all that heavy which helped.

Dropping all but the two bags with the toys in the entryway, John almost dragged Rodney into the bedroom. "Strip."

It didn't take long for Rodney to comply, his face wearing a hopeful smirk as he pulled the shirt over his head as John turned to the suitcases he'd dragged in.

Pulling out the tethers, John spent a moment to intensely miss the big bondage bed. It had been nice knowing there were straps for every occasion just waiting for him any time he needed them. "On the bed, pillow under your ass, spread eagle."

Rodney raised an eyebrow, moving toward John and stepping into his personal space. He pressed his lips to John's in a slow kiss that John deepened, only backing off when they both needed to breathe.

Breathing in each other's air for a moment, John closed his eyes and enjoyed all the warmth coming off Rodney's body. "Love you."

"Love you," Rodney whispered, pressing his lips once again against John's before stepping back. When John opened his eyes, Rodney was settling on the bed, pulling a pillow from the pile that he shifted to shove under his ass.

Humming to himself, John looped the straps around the bedposts, securing Rodney to the bed. He unlocked the cage, but replaced it with a cock ring he had fished out of the luggage. "I can't wait to play with our Ancient ring, in conjunction with one of the vibrators. I bet you'll like that."

"Maybe," Rodney said with a slight smile.

"Just imagine the way it will feel." John lightly ran a finger up Rodney's hardening dick. "Vibrations around this. Vibrations in your ass. Me fondling your nipples. Tied down so you can't get away, just have to take it."

McKay groaned, squirming under John's touch. "Oh, god."

"Knowing your body is mine. Mine to touch, mine to pleasure. That I won't let you come until it almost hurts, but by then you won't care. All that will matter is knowing that I'm taking care of you, that I know your body better than even you do, and I know exactly how much you can take."

"Oh….yours….all yours, John…" he whispered, his eyes closed tightly as his body shuddered.

Still using only the lightest of touches, John swallowed hard; it never stopped being amazing how responsive Rodney was.

His lover continued to tremble as John dragged his fingers over skin, slowly reducing Rodney to moans and sighs and panting breaths.

Reaching underneath his lover, John carefully worked the plug out, wiggling it a little as he did. "I can't decide what I want to do with you now though. Do I want to fuck you? Use a dildo on you while I fuck myself on your dick? Use a vibrator while I fuck your mouth? All three have a certain amount of appeal.

John only got a high-pitched moan in response, a shudder running through his body as Sheppard pulled the plug free.

Chuckling, John went back to the light caresses. "The problem is that I both want to fuck you, and I want to overwhelm your senses with pleasure—which leaves the other two options."

Rodney wrenched open his eyes staring at John, his pupils nearly entirely dilated with just a very small rim of blue around the black. He moaned again, his gaze never wavering.

"Hmmm. I could fuck you, but not let you come from that. Then give you a blowjob. Suck on you for what will feel like hours, since by then I'll be nice and sated, with no real urgency."

"Oh god…" Rodney whispered, moaning, his body squirming on the bed. "Make…make me wait."

Raising an eyebrow, John gave Rodney's erection a swift, hard pull before returning to the barely there caresses. "You want to be out of your mind with need? Taken to the edge and held there, knowing I won't let you come any time soon, knowing I'm just going to drive you higher and higher and higher?"

"Yes…yours…do…take what you want…I…I want you...to come…make me wait…"

Sliding off the bed, John put a note of command in his tone. "Open your eyes and don't take them off me." Once he had Rodney's attention, he started to slowly strip. He knew it drove Rodney crazy when he did this, wanting to touch and not being allowed.

And sure enough, Rodney's hands clenched and unclenched as he watched John pull of his clothes, tugging at the bindings as he moaned and whimpered, his eyes widening even further.

"You want to touch me now, don't you? You know how sensitive my nipples are—I bet you want to play with them right now, don't you? Feel the metal between your fingers, listen to me moan."

Rodney nodded, tugging again at his wrist bindings.

"Maybe I'll let you—later. For right now, you just have to watch and wait for what I give you."

He groaned, but nodded again, his body shifting on the bed.

When he was naked, John took his time stretching, knowing every time he did it, Rodney's eyes bugged out of his head.

"Oh…god…" Rodney whispered, his head turned just enough so he got a better view. "You are so perfect…"

Grimacing a little, John looked down at his body, crisscrossed with scars. He knew he was a bit on the skinny side, but hey, if he got to call Rodney perfect... And anyway, he wanted his lover to find him attractive. Letting his expression slide into a grin, John widened his stance and started to lazily stroke himself. "You've had that plug in all day, and we've had enough sex lately that you're pretty loose. So I think I'll prep myself here while you watch, then just come over and bury myself in you."

"Oh god…yes," he replied eagerly, making John smile.

"You want to know what I'm thinking about right now? I'm imaging the way your hands feel when they touch me like this. Watching you in the labs makes me hard now, did you know that? You wave those hands around, and all I can do is remember how they feel touching me, stroking me."

"You…you watch me?"

"All the time. I look for excuses to be wherever you are so I can listen to you, watch you while you work. It's fucking sexy when you get excited about something. Your hands start waving around, your eyes flash. It's like sex personified."

Rodney actually looked confused, the whole concept strangely foreign to him. "But that's you."

John shook his head, even as his hand continued to stroke. He was keeping it light enough, for now, to feel good but not take him too close to the edge. "Sorry, I've gotta go with you on this one. You're the most amazing thing I've ever seen, and it's only better when you're excited about something."

"No one looks twice at me," Rodney said, shaking his head, his voice quiet. "You though…everyone wants you."

John pinned Rodney with his eyes. "And I want you."

A moan rumbled in the back of his throat and he didn't look away, focused entirely on John. "I…I can't get enough of you."

"Good. I'll be doing everything I can to make sure it stays that way." John moved to the side of the bed, sitting on it with his legs wide open so Rodney could watch him jerk himself off.

Rodney whimpered, his eyes moving down to John's cock, watching as his hand slid up and down his shaft, the head appearing and disappearing from view.

"This is going to be in you soon. I'm starting to feel it pool in the base of my spine. I'm getting that little ache that means I need to be buried balls-deep inside your body, so tight and hot and perfect all around me."

"Yes…please, John," he begged, his hands clenching and unclenching above his head, his tongue licking and wetting his lips in anticipation of tasting John.

Since driving Rodney higher and higher was now firmly at the top of John's all-time favorite things to do, he let his head drop back and moaned a little, thrusting his hips up to meet his closed fist.

The resulting pleading and begging and whimpering was about what he expected—even down to the tugs on the restraints. But John had made sure Rodney was tied securely.

Since he knew he couldn't take much more and still be able to take it slow with Rodney, John released his dick with one last swipe across the head that made him shudder. He moved the coated thumb to smear pre-come across Rodney's lips.

McKay licked it eagerly, sucking the thumb into his mouth, his tongue wiping it clean as he moaned.

Slowly finger-fucking Rodney's mouth, John only took his hand away a few times to add more of either his own or Rodney's pre-come to the mix.

At some point Rodney's eyes slid closed, his mouth closed around John's thumb, sucking and licking at it when he could, looking totally debauched. John slid his free hand down Rodney's chest to tweak the closest nipple, Rodney's moans of pleasure only increasing as his body trembled.

Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. John moved to settle between Rodney's legs and pushed inside with one long thrust. This time when his head fell back it wasn't for show —neither was the broken moan that snuck out.

Rodney was tight and warm in all the right places and John settled in deep, pressing in, making Rodney's panting gasps increase in both tempo and volume.

John set an easy pace at first, keeping his thrusts shallow and slow. But as he started to get closer, he adjusted his angle to hit Rodney's prostate on every stroke, picking up the pace.

The moans and whimpers only increased as John's strokes began to stutter as Rodney clenched down on his cock.

With a groan, John came, loving the way it felt to spill himself into Rodney's body. He rolled to the side as he collapsed down, pulling out to snuggle against Rodney's side while he recovered. "Mmmm, so good."

Rodney moaned, his cock hard and leaking, desperate for release. But this is what he wanted, what he asked for and John isn't quite ready to give in so easily. With a hand in the middle of Rodney's chest, he began stroking him slowly, grounding his lover, helping to bring him down from the desperate edge he'd reached.

"Not yet. You have to wait a little longer. But I promise, when you do come, it will be amazing." John found his lover's balls and began to roll them gently.

"I know," Rodney finally panted, the words whispered, trusting.

John kept up the fondling, moving from body part to body part as the whim took him, watching Rodney's cock twitch almost violently every time he was given a new sensation.

The moaning was almost constant now, a low-level of sound hovering between pleasure and frustration.

With a chuckle, John sat up and pushed three fingers into Rodney as deep as they could go, swallowing him down at the same time.

"OhfuckJohn!"

Matching his fingers to his mouth, John set about shorting out every remaining brain cell Rodney had left.

With his body shuddering under the assault, Rodney whimpered and moaned, his head thrown back and his mouth open wide as he panted.

When Rodney resorted to one, long, high-pitched whine of need, John finally relented. He used his free hand to slip the clasp on the cock ring, sucking as hard as he could on the head of Rodney's erection and pushing hard against his prostate at the same time.

As the sensations overwhelmed his lover, Rodney offered a loud shout and he was coming—hard—pouring down John's throat, shuddering and shaking through the aftershocks even as his body went limp, head lolling to the side.

Licking him clean, John carefully removed his fingers, grinning to himself that he had made Rodney pass out again. He loosened all the straps so Rodney had some room to move when he woke up and then curled into his body, waiting for his lover to regain consciousness.

It only took a few minutes, a low moan escaping as he shifted on the bed.

"Hey, there."

"Mmm?"

"What do you want for dinner?"

An eye opened lazily as Rodney turned toward John. "Food?"

A little, soundless laugh bubbled up. Rodney was absolutely adorable like this, although he didn't think it would be wise to tell him that. "Yes, food. Dinner. Any requests?"

"Um…no," he said after a few moments, shaking his head. "Nothing citrus."

John did let the laugh escape this time, brushing his lips across Rodney's. "Yeah, that was already off the menu. Lemme go see what we left in the pantry. I'll be right back."

""kay," Rodney said with a content sigh, eyes sliding closed as he relaxed back into the mattress.

John slipped out of bed and padded into the kitchen, absently noting that the message light on the answering machine was blinking, and that there was a huge pile of mail the cleaning lady had left for them. He ignored both, opting instead to dig through the freezer, finding a box of appetizers. Not very healthy, but quick to re-heat and easy to feed Rodney with. He leaned against the counter while they cooked, humming absently, and when they were done he put them all on one big plate to cart into the bedroom.

Rodney hadn't moved, his chest moving up and down with a gentle grace as he slept, the post-coital slumber catching up with him.

Amused that Rodney didn't even bat an eyelash as John unhooked his wrists, he set the tray aside and shook his lover gently, and rousing him and getting him into a more or less seated position so he wouldn't choke to death. "Come, buddy. Eat a little bit, and then you can go back to sleep."

"Hmm?" Rodney said, as John shoved some pillows behind him, the loosened ankle tethers giving John enough room to get him situated without unlocking them.

He brushed a bite-sized piece of food across Rodney's lips. "You need to eat. It's been a while since lunch. Just get a little down for me. Then we can go to sleep."

Rodney opened his mouth, letting John place the food inside as his hands immediately went to John's body, skimming across his skin.

John hummed with pleasure, moving so Rodney could have better access, even as he continued to feed them both.

Rodney made a face at the small quiche, but ate it without further protest, his eyes fixed on the skin his hands were trailing over. The touch was light, but it felt as if Rodney was examining every inch of his body, memorizing it with touch and sight.

When the food was gone, John set the plate on the dresser and then got Rodney to slide back down, wrapping himself around his lover. "Night, Rodney."

"Blanket?"

John reached back and tugged it over them both.

"Thanks," Rodney said, ducking down under the covers for a moment, his lips pressing to the center of John's chest. After a moment, Rodney slid back upward, tucking himself against John as closely as he could get, arms wrapped around his lover.

Closing his eyes, John fell asleep content with the world, knowing his lover was right there beside him.

***

Rodney woke slowly, feeling John pressed fully against him.

God. He was going to miss this.

He shifted on the mattress, his legs pulling a little short where his feet were still attached to his bed. Leaning in, he pressed his face into the crook of John's neck and shoulder, breathing in his scent—sweat and sex and John—an addicting mix.

He could give up Atlantis for this.

John made a little noise and shifted slightly to let Rodney fit better against him.

Sliding into place, Rodney simply held on, knowing that as soon as they got out of bed things could be very, very different. Right here, right now, it was just the two of them and nothing else mattered.

"Hmmmmm. Morning?"

"Probably."

"Bummer."

"I agree heartily with the sentiment if not the word choice."

John cracked an eye and stared at him, a slight grin hovering at the corners of his mouth. "Dude?"

"Oh, god. I can feel myself losing IQ points."

John's chest shook a little with suppressed laughter. "Bummer."

Rodney groaned, leaning back into John's body. "And away they fly…any chance of unlocking me so I can go pee?"

John reached around to tilt Rodney's head for a closed-mouth morning kiss. "Yeah. Lemme get those for you."

Rodney watched as John grabbed the key from the bedside table, pushing aside the covers to get to Rodney's ankles, unlocking the tethers but leaving the cuffs in place. Once he'd put the key back, Rodney sat up and raised an eyebrow at his lover. "Is that the only morning kiss I get now that we're back from vacation?"

Taking it for a challenge, John pounced, pinning Rodney back to the bed, diving in to possess his mouth.

With a moaning chuckle, Rodney gave as good as he got, his tongue battling with John's as they kissed, hands tugging his lover closer as he tried to flip them over using his feet, but John's position above him made it difficult.

John laughed into Rodney's mouth and shifted his hips, which gave Rodney just enough leverage to roll them, pinning Sheppard to the bed.

Sliding his arms out from under John, Rodney planted his elbows on either side of Sheppard's head as he tilted his head, deepening the kiss as he rubbed his semi-hard cock against John's, eliciting a moan from the other man.

Opening up, John spread his legs, letting Rodney find a better position. He started thrusting up to meet Rodney, panting hard into the kiss.

Rodney pulled back, his lips ghosting against John's "Are we doing this?"

"If you stop I will switch all the coffee for decaf." John was pushing up, trying to find more contact.

"You know better than that," Rodney chuckled, grinding down.

John moaned, moving restlessly underneath him. "Touch me. God, Rodney, please, I need you—"

"You have me."

"Touch me. Use those talented hands..." John's body arched up into him.

Instead, Rodney leaned down, pressing his entire body to John's, linking their mouths once again.

John moaned again. Rodney could feel the tension in his frame, even as he melted into the mattress, letting Rodney take whatever he wanted.

Their kisses were deep, the sweat from their bodies making their gentle thrusts and strokes easier, the friction sweet and delicious. As much as Rodney loved to be fucked, frontage like this was so nice.

It didn't take long before John stilled, his come spilling between them, with Rodney following a few beats later, his climax sweet and lazy.

John hummed, going completely boneless underneath him.

Rodney slid to the side, breathing deeply as he tried to still his frantically beating heart, his finger tracing a pattern on John's collarbone.

"Waffles."

"Huh?"

"For breakfast. I want to make waffles. Do you have an iron?"

"No. That's what the Waffle House down the block is for."

"Oh." John made a little sad face. "I need to buy you a waffle iron."

"No shopping."

"No waffles?"

"No Eggos, either."

He felt John's shudder all over. "Eggos are a crime against breakfast."

"The closest I ever got to a real waffle."

John shook his head. "I'll settle for pancakes today, but I'm making you waffles soon."

"Just as long as it doesn't involve dragging me to another store." Rodney yawned, shifting on the bed. "I should pee."

John stretched underneath him, rubbing their bodies together. "'Kay. I'll go start breakfast. We can shower later."

"Mmm. See you in a few minutes." Rodney rolled from the bed, catching his hand on the corner as his balance went a little haywire before he righted himself and headed to the bathroom.

When he came back out into the room, John was gone from the bed, and there were noises coming from the kitchen.

His eyes drifted around his bedroom, finding the toys he'd worn yesterday, the cuffs still warm against his skin. With an absent smile on his face, he wandered into the kitchen, watching as a boxer-clad John puttered around, making pancakes as the coffee slowly filled the pot.

It was...wonderfully domestic. And he didn't know when domestic had become something he craved, but John... John made him want a lot of things he never realized he needed. And, even more amazing, his lover, partner, gave it all to him and more. Looking back, John gave him a goofy smile. "Hey. I got your mug ready. When there's enough coffee in the pot, all you have to do is pour."

"I can wait until it's done," Rodney said quietly, as he leaned a shoulder against the doorframe, loving John's gaze on him as his eyes slid up and down his naked body.

"Mmmm. I saw a pile of mail over on the counter last night. I don't know if you needed to look for anything important."

"I should look, I guess," Rodney said, shaking off the strange feeling that had settled over him, moving to the counter to sort through the mail. Most of it was junk, but there were a few things he needed to look at—bank statements, 401k statements, his mutual funds—but those could wait. With a single postcard between his fingers, he glanced up at John. "We missed a delivery."

John glanced back. "My paperwork?"

"Unless it weighs several hundred pounds, no."

"Several hundred... I didn't order anything. Did you?"

Rodney shook his head, already going through the mail once again. "I don't see anything. They said they'd try a delivery again today…after nine. What time is it?"

"0915. Guess that means we should put on clothes, huh?"

"Clothes…oh, yeah. I guess."

John chuckled. "Eat breakfast. I'll answer the door if they come, and you can duck into the bathroom."

"It's ready?" he asked, looking past John toward the table.

"Almost. I'll set the table in a minute."

"I need to hook up the laptop, too."

"After breakfast. There were a few messages, too—the light is blinking. But we can deal with everything after we eat." John slid a few pancakes onto two plates, drizzling syrup over them.

"That smells and looks amazing," Rodney said, already moving to the coffee pot, pouring coffee into his already-prepared mug. He slid into his seat a minute later, half of his coffee already gone.

"I try." John poured his own cup of coffee, balancing a plate on the mug as he carried the other over, setting it in front of Rodney before getting his own on firmer footing. He reached around to hook an ankle around Rodney's. "Enjoy."

"Mmmm, I plan to," Rodney said around his first mouthful of pancakes. They settled into a companionable silence, always touching in some way—feet, hands—as they ate, only to be interrupted by the doorbell.

"Mph hmph." John swallowed the food in his mouth, standing up. "I'll get that."

"John!"

"Go throw on a pair of boxers. I'll walk slowly to the door." John grinned at him. "I'm curious as to what we're having delivered."

"I have dried come on my body, I'm not showing myself to anyone," he hissed as he rose to his feet, coffee mug in hand.

John brushed a kiss across his lips. "Wait in the bathroom. This shouldn't take long."

Grumbling about early morning deliveries, Rodney trotted into the master bedroom, closing the door and sitting on the bed as he listened to the racket outside. Dull thumps and voices went on for several minutes before subsiding, John's knock on the door sending Rodney flying to his feet a moment later.

John came in, with a vaguely stunned look on his face. He wordlessly handed over a card.

Rodney looked at John with wide, questioning eyes, but the main simply gestured to the card as if that was all the explanation he needed.

_Weren't sure you got the most of your trip to Vegas and you were both so attached to the bed, so we thought it would be a fitting addition to your apartment. Hope it fits!_

_Peter and Harry_

John was pacing the bedroom, looking like he was mentally measuring it.

"They didn't."

"It is currently sitting in our living room in several boxes."

"But…" the argument trailed off as Rodney looked at the card again.

"We're going to need to re-arrange the placement of your furniture. I don't think it will fit how you have it now."

"I already have two beds in my two-bedroom apartment. A third won't fit."

"We can move this one into your guest room, put the new one in here, and give the twin to Good Will or something." John's expression turned pleading, his eyes widening, and his lips pushing out in a puppy-dog look that absolutely should not have been cute. "Bondage bed, Rodney. And it's _all ours_."

"But I have a perfectly good bed and mattress…"

"Please can we keep it? It followed me home, and I promise to take really good care of it."

Rodney looked up from the card in his hands knowing full well his face clearly showed his confusion. "But…why?"

"Why do I want to keep it or why did they send it? The second—I have no idea, but I'm not going to question it. The first—two words for you. Bondage. Bed. I loved that bed, and I didn't even get to try half the possible positions with you."

"It must have cost them a fortune…and then on top of the room—"

John nodded. "I know. We need to find a way to thank them. But that's another reason to keep it—sending it back would just be an insult, and to not use it would be even more of one."

"They sent us a bed!"

"Maybe you could build them something cool. Who doesn't like robots?"

"John, they sent us a bed."

"With straps!" John bounced on his toes.

"It's a bed. No one sends beds."

John tilted his head, still grinning. "We have a bed in our living room. From Harry and Peter. So your theory that no one sends beds has a few holes in it."

Rodney shook his head as his eyes drifted back to the card in his hand. This was weird…and wrong…and weird. "We have no where to put it."

"Well, I'm all for shipping to Atlantis, but somehow I don't think we can sneak it on as easy as we can the toys. So we'll just have to put it in here. Hey! Actually, you could have this one shipped to Atlantis. I know the ones in our rooms now hurt your back. You could probably get away with that if you cow enough people."

"It's not a necessary item," Rodney said absently, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand as he headed out into the living room, the large boxes taking up most of the available space.

John came out behind him, wrapping his arms around Rodney's waist. He rested his chin on Rodney's shoulder, and wedged a knee in between his legs. "Are you really all that attached to your current bed? We could use the same mattress, just on this frame instead. They're the same size."

"They sent a mattress and box spring, too?"

"Yeah, those are leaning against the wall over there." John lifted a hand to wave towards the kitchen before resting it back on Rodney's hip.

"Why?"

John turned his head to breathe against Rodney's neck. "They like us. Like you. I think they had both despaired of me ever finding anyone who made me this happy."

"But it's a bed!" His hands were waving—card still clutched in his fingers—as he gestured to the object in question.

"They saw how much we were enjoying it in Vegas."

"I don't know if I'm mortified or incredibly amazed at their generosity. This is not an inexpensive purchase."

"I know." John nudged Rodney's neck to the side so he could nuzzle in a little further. "We really do need to do something nice for them."

Rodney sighed, finally relaxing against John, his hands coming to a rest on his partner's arms. "We have a lot of work to do."

"Mmm. I know. Tell you what, you check the messages, I'll clean up breakfast, then we'll get started."

"'kay," Rodney replied absently, his eyes still on the boxes. As John moved into the kitchen, the sounds of dishes clinking and pots clanging together shook Rodney out of his daze and he moved to the phone seeing that there were several new messages. Pushing the button to play the messages, he prowled around the boxes, looking them over.

The first message was from the lawyer confirming the forms would be delivered the day after they returned from Vegas. There were two hang-ups and the last voice stopped him in the middle of the room amidst the boxes.

"Doctor McKay, this is General Landry. I didn't want to interrupt your vacation which is why I'm leaving a message in your apartment. If you see Major Sheppard, please inform him that you are both being recalled to duty as of Monday. Please report to Cheyenne at 0800 for deployment on Monday. You know where to reach me if you have any questions."

John appeared in the door, eyes wide. "We're going home?"

Rodney glanced at John, knowing his face reflected the same shock and surprise. He nodded slowly. "We're going home."

***

The End


End file.
